Have you been searching for the key to unlocking the next chapter of your career? Find out why having a marketing mentor and joining a free mentoring programme like Mentoring Gen Z could help you transition into your next role and leapfrog in your career!
Marketing mentors are a wonderful thing. I would be so bold as to say that mentors can simply change a person’s life and career protectory.
The world could benefit from more knowledge, wisdom and insights to help personal and professional growth at all ages.
A mentor doesn’t always have to be someone more senior sharing with someone younger; reverse mentoring is equally important, particularly when you think of the pace of change and digital skills coming through into the industry. There is simply just so much to learn.
So, if you haven’t thought about having a marketing mentor or joining a mentoring session yet, this article will explain why you need a marketing mentor in your life.
Here are just ten reasons we believe you should consider a marketing mentor today:
1. Mentor brings different perspectives
Having a mentor allows you to explore new perspectives and approach situations and challenges in a different light than you usually would. In addition, a marketing mentor is likely to have been in similar situations to you, which will allow them to shed light on how they have dealt with similar projects or challenges in the past and offer you some interesting thoughts.
2. Challenge your thinking
New perspectives often challenge your thinking. This is great! After all, how can you expect to grow if you stick with the same mindset throughout your career? Bringing fresh perspectives are at the heart of a mentor’s role – to suggest new ways of thinking and looking at situations to help you on your journey. I would suggest going to a mentoring session with an open mind and ready to learn.
3. Learn from more experienced individuals
The great thing about having a marketing mentor is that you learn from someone who has more experience than you (hopefully) in a certain area. With this experience comes knowledge and practical tips on how to approach and handle different situations. As Warren Buffett once said, “It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes.”
4. Build a stronger marketing network
Having a mentor is one of the most important routes to building your network and connections. Not only with the mentor, but their connections as well. The chances are your mentor will not only open you up to their network, but also give you advice or top tips on how to network effectively.
5. Gain practical advice
Sometimes you might just need a mentor to talk through certain situations or ideas, but other times you might seek practical advice on what to do next. Mentors are fantastic at offering different tools and techniques they’ve collected throughout their career journey to help you.
6. Boost your confidence
We all suffer from imposter syndrome at some stage of our lives. So first let’s normalise that. This could happen at any point in your career or life; however, how we tackle this is important. A mentor can help you increase your confidence tenfold by empowering you to use all of these newly gained skills, techniques and tools within your life. Sometimes just having an independent person to help talk through your worries is what you need.
7. Develop strong communication skills
Strong communication skills are crucial throughout your life and career. Whether you want to understand how to have conversations with people at different levels, your peers or how you present yourself in meetings, marketing mentors are the perfect people to learn from when you want to enhance these soft skills.
8. Develop strategies for dealing with career/workplace challenges
Have you ever been in a situation where you are unsure how you should act or respond in a work situation? We’ve all been there. A mentor can be a great confidant in helping you to unpack the problem and develop strategies to deal with similar challenges in future, should you find it happening again.
9. Benefit from a sense of fulfilment
When working through personal and professional development, there is often a sense of fulfilment as you move the dial forward – it’s a sense of progression and growth knowing that you have invested time and energy into yourself. You should ALWAYS feel proud of giving yourself this opportunity.
10. Develop leadership skills
Last but not least, having a mentor can help you develop and hone your leadership skills. Leadership is such an important trait to develop within life, and learning through others experiences is very special.
You can have mentors throughout your life to address different aspects of your development, and it’s important to say that these relationships can last for a few sessions or much longer, depending on the need and requirements. It’s a two-way relationship that both parties will get something out of, which brings me to my final piece of advice. Think about what you want your mentor to help you with and choose someone who has that experience, and then think about what you can also offer the mentor in return.
There are always lessons waiting for us.
Where to start your mentoring journey
If you are interested in starting your mentoring journey but you have no idea where to start, register to Mentoring Gen Z!
We run weekly group mentoring sessions hosted by different industry leaders every week! That way you can build you network of likeminded people in the same boat as you, and connect with highly experienced leaders in a safe, welcoming environment… We’ll see you there!
