Mentoring is when you have a what, and someone who has been there sits with you to help you figure out the how.
Coaching is when someone sits with you to help you figure out the what, the why, the how, and the when.
One way or the other, mentoring and coaching are activities in which it is worth to invest time.
Both as a giver and as a receiver.
When you start something new, having the questions right is more important than having the right answers.
Who is going to be impacted by your work?
Who are you serving?
What are their expectations?
Answers can only be found by asking. The fact that they lie somewhere in your previous experience and your knowledge of the world is just a myth.
If you can’t give credit to yourself, how do you expect to give credit to others?
If you can’t be compassionate with your feelings, give yourself room to think, appreciate what you have achieved and get excited for what comes next. How can you do all that for others?
All your world wants is for you to love yourself.
We would like there to be a simple answer. And the reality, of course, is that there is none.
We would love the answer to be in the next article we read, the next podcast episode we listen to, the next online class we register for – even though we know we will never have the time, or the motivation, or the incentive to actually take it.
We would love our beloved go-to influencer to share their secret sauce. We would pay hard earned money to get it from their very own voice. We are desperate for it, so much so we convince ourselves that if only we would take the recommendation in the latest LinkedIn post they shared, everything would be fine.
The reality, of course, is that there is no secret sauce.
Every situation, every context, every team, every product, every go-to-market, every business model is different. You can apply some of your own previous expertise, or some of someone else’s previous expertise, but you’ll better do it carefully.
Starting with listening and asking loads of questions, seeing what you can take and what you need to drop, agreeing with others on the next important steps to take together.
That’s probably the only bullet that looks somewhat silvery.
Come up with the plan as you go.
What makes you unique is not that you are customer-focused and have great communication skills.
What makes you unique is that you enjoy the challenge of finding the right audience for the company you work at, and that you dedicate effort to buy everyone in the story you are going to tell.
Lazy adjectives and terminology are particularly harmful when you use them to present yourself in the job market. They are shortcuts that flatten the contribution you have to make. They just make you feel like everyone else.
When you are about to use any of them, ask yourself three questions.
It will help you go deeper and unlock what it is that make you truly stand out.
You've got this 