Thank Goodness for mentors.
I don’t know your viewpoint, but for me having a mentor has helped my career take off.
What is a mentor? Well, on a deeper level it’s like having a coach. And with both cases, coaching and mentoring, there are differences between good influences and “not so good” influences.
When I first started my chiropractic practice I had no idea how to run a business. It was considered unprofessional to talk about anything other than health issues; only the charlatans were focused on the bottom “economic” line of a practice.
Well, I bought into that old mentality and focused solely on being “professional.” Then, after about 6 months of practice, the bank’s line of credit was used up.
At that point it was sink or swim, and I was going down fast.
But that, thankfully, is when I found my mentor.
A wise old chiropractor told me to take a course on running an office, to learn the business skill that I was so lacking. The mentor I was directed to was Dr. Dom LaForte and he had the gift of seeing the weak links in a chiropractic practice.
First thing he made me do was keep my office open Monday to Friday. No more late mornings, no more Wednesday afternoons off. I had to focus on being there and looking after patients. As he explained to me, the chiropractors who started late or took days off had been in practice for 30 plus years and had done their work. I was just starting out.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since those days, and a lot has changed. But what hasn’t changed is the fact that when people are mentored by someone who knows what they’re doing, they progress faster and farther than alone.
The fastest ways of growing both your professional life and personal life is to find and release your internal blockages. I call these internal blockages your toxic mindsets. The right mentor can wake you up to your blocks and help you work constructively past them. When finding a mentor make sure they:
If they don’t meet these three criteria, they might fall into the “not so good” mentor role.
Do you have a mentor? What qualities do they bring out in you? How did you connect with your mentor?
People benefit from others’ experiences. Please share your thoughts on mentoring. Be a mini-mentor for all our readers with each constructive statement you make!
Take care,
Dr Tony
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Having a mentor is valuable. When I lost my job after the hi-tech meltdown in 2001, I met a fabulous career counsellor (Brendan Devlin) who took the time to understand my personality and he directed me to an area I had never considered as a career option, the non-profit sector. He gave me the tools and training to do a job search in an efficient and effective manner, and I ended up finding a job in my area of interest with an organization whose values reflect mine. I love what I do, where I work and I have wonderful supportive colleagues who are team oriented. I continue to use the tools my mentor taught me, and because they are so good, I teach these tools to others whenever I see the need. Young people have come to me as their mentor, and it’s rewarding to see them succeed.
But it doesn’t stop there for me. Through the coaching that Dr. Tony Brunelle and Dr. Marcelle provide at Awakening Potentials, my growth continues in various aspects of my life. Their coaching fits in with my values and personality which makes my personal journey an exciting one. I carry the excitement surrounding what I learn and what it does for my life into both the personal and professional areas of my life, where I can see that my excitement influences those around me. What’s cool is to see how my influence on other people provides further harmony in this world.
Thanks Tony and Marcelle. I wouldn’t be where I am now without your mentoring, and I’m excited about where I’ll be tomorrow.
Francoise
Having a mentor makes a difference. I must say that I have had great mentors and some “not so great” mentors. Look at the results to know which one you have. If they are good, they are gold!