The perspective of a mentee

Author: Julian Ferrante, mentee in the team of AICR Switzerland,

Mentoring- hardly anything teaches me more and helps me to gain new perspectives in the shortest possible time. I have done it unconsciously for years until AICR started to talk about it.

How does experience help?

First I have my personal piece of advice for you: choose your mentor with what he or she has gone through. Have they reached goals which are also on your scedule? Are they mastering a skill you want to develop as well? If necessary approach multiple mentors to cover all fields of experience needed.

How would that help you? Senior mentors can show you possible directions and utilise from their own experiences. These can be incredibly valuable! Because they cannot be bought with money. Right?

Me, I love talking to people who have faced challenges already before I know they could occur. It saves so much time and effort anticipating  what is coming next in life or in your career and what needs to be prioritised. After mentoring sessions certain things appear to be so easy, honestly – it almost feels like cheating…

Sharing is caring!

But don’t get me wrong, Iam not recommending to copy the solutions of our mentors. But people who have already made similar experiences should share them. This enables to approach important decisions with a wider perspective. I absolutely love that!

But how do mentors benefit from mentoring?

Here’s the thing: experience blinds many people to new perspectives and approaches. The exchange with younger people requires a high degree of openness and self-reflection. Mentors who bring that with them, however, derive great added value from the exchange with young people. That means we can return some value.

After some time of being a mentee, I feel that I am giving something back to my mentor. It is essential to me creating a win-win situation instead of a teacher-student relationship.

Finally I believe that I am extremly lucky having an AICR  Legend as my coach and mentor. My relationship with Egidio Marcato changed my life since the day we met.

 

27 August 2019; Kazan; Worldksills Kazan 2019 - Abschlussfeier der Worldskills 2019 in der Kazan Arena (Foto: Victor Berezkin)

Have you already found your mentor? If you need help in finding your match or have any other questions – just leave a comment and we come back to you.