Are you listening to too many people? Are too many ‘gurus’ telling you different ways to have a business, run your business, and what you need for your business?
It has to stop.
All these mentoring relationships can get confusing. Whether you are watching from afar (like on YouTube or reading their books) or have invested in a program or coaching, finding the right mentoring person for your Christian business is essential.
We will address mentoring relationships: what they look like, how you can find them, and why they are essential for you as a Christian entrepreneur.
Prefer video? Check this out.
Mentoring relationships defined
A mentor is defined as an experienced and trusted advisor. Usually, a relationship is between two people but can also be one person to a group (coaching) or peer-to-peer.
Simply put, it is a more experienced person pouring into a less experienced one. They are typically called the mentor/mentee relationship.
The mentor’s role can take on many forms, such as teacher, sponsor, advisor, agent, role model, coach, and confidante. Think back to those who have ‘mentored’ you in one way or another (whether you paid them or not.) How many of these roles did that person play for you?
Maybe you have even mentored someone. Think about the roles you have played for any one of them.
In my coaching business, I have interacted as a teacher, advisor, role model, and even confidante. With my daughters, it has been more role modeling and teaching (with the occasional coaching and confidante.) As a Bible teacher, I have been a role model and advisor.
While one person cannot be all things to another, it’s essential to recognize the type of relationship that is best for those involved.
Mentoring relationships and qualities
Let’s first talk about what mentoring relationships look like. It really comes down to mentor qualities. Good mentoring relationships mean the person who is the mentor has these qualities. These are also qualities you want to aspire to so you can be someone else’s mentor.
Active listening
The best quality is being an active listener. It is communication with interaction. This takes energy and requires lots of eye contact, leaning in, and nodding. It also means taking notes, asking for clarification, and being curious.
Listen to this video about the THREE Cs of Effective Listening to learn specific ways to become a better listener.
Another two-for-one quality is that those in the mentor relationships must be dedicated to their own and the other’s success. These go together because you cannot be genuinely interested in helping another unless you find some benefit to yourself.
In mentoring relationships, each person grows in different ways. As a result, each can learn differently, gain confidence in their abilities, and find satisfaction in serving one another.
1 Peter 4:10 reminds us. . .
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
3R’s
The last quality I want to mention is a three for, 3Rs to be exact: responsible, respectful, and ready.
Mentoring relationships will not work if those inside the relationship are not ready in many ways. Your business will not succeed, no matter what you try, if you are unprepared. You must be ready to take responsibility, get out of your comfort zone, and give the work the respect it takes to get things done.
This is also true for how you treat others in the relationship. Make sure you do what you say and commit to any projects you have decided to work on together.
As you can see, these mentor relationships are not one-sided at all. On the contrary, they take dedication from all parties involved.
Finding the right mentoring relationships
That takes us to the next thing I want to discuss: finding a mentor. Let’s look at ways to find mentors that can help us in all types of areas. Finding one person can be tricky, but finding a community of possible mentors is better.
What do I mean? Well, if a mentor is someone who has a little more knowledge in one or more areas that you need (and, of course, you have knowledge in areas they may need), then mentoring becomes reciprocal.
If we are all striving to be better communicators, are willing to offer our advice and constructive criticism, and can be empathetic, then we each can be a mentor for someone.
After all, the purpose of mentoring is to share information and provide guidance, motivate one another, provide emotional/prayer support, and live by example.
Dedicated community
Where can you find this? Inside a community made up of dedicated, growing Christian women entrepreneurs. 😊 Have you heard about the Calling Clarity Community? This community will be starting soon. It goes beyond being in a Facebook group, an accountability group, or even a mastermind.
Inside the community, you will be able to connect with women who are ahead of you on this entrepreneurial adventure that can mentor you, and YOU will be ahead of others that you can be a mentor. What I love about the community we are creating is that you can find specific women you resonate with and who can significantly help you.
Not only will you be growing and learning, but you will have the opportunity to participate in the growth and learning of others. We have set up the community in such a way that this will feel very natural and organic. If you want to know more about the Calling Clarity Community, I want you to click the link and get on the WAITLIST. Find your place to get a mentor and be a mentor by serving others in the community.
Get mentoring and be a mentor
Imagine an entire community where each person is dedicated to every other person’s success. A place where you feel supported, encouraged and celebrated as you live out the Calling God has given you.
Romans 11:29 says this,
For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.
God has given you specific abilities, skills, and gifts to be used in the body. This is not just for the church you attend but for the Church (big C) with other believers. So my challenge is this. . . think about how you are living out your Calling and if you are genuinely supporting other believers as they live out theirs. The Calling Clarity Community is your place to do just that, live out your giftings to serve the body.
Mentors are essential to your growth
And, of course, that leads us to the last thing I want to discuss, why mentoring relationships are essential for your growth and Christian business. It may seem obvious that having a community around you makes it easier to find the answers you need to your problems in any area.
Being inside a community gives you ways to connect to others with the same values, where you can go deeper faster because you have more opportunities to see one another in action.
Mentoring relationships is all about give-and-take. In today’s world, we are all so busy that it’s hard to develop the relationships necessary for business success. Many businesses fail. Why? One of the top statistics says it is because the owners (you and me) get in our way.
There is a list of things we do to sabotage ourselves, like being stubborn to change, having a risk-averse personality we need to deal with, maybe perfectionism so you never get started, plain greed, paranoia, or should we say- fear of failure and insecurities like imposter syndrome.
Unite with others
If you are trying to do it all alone, that is a recipe for disaster. So God has given you this business call, not so you can tough it out, but to unite with others to figure it out.
Mentoring relationships are ‘give back’ relationships. They are the very relationships that can help you go from being alone to having a think tank team from having no idea which direction to go to create the perfect business for you because it is God’s design for you.
In your business, you need to stand independently, knowing you have a support system in place beneath you. That’s the mentoring relationship; that’s what a community of mentoring relationships can do for you: encourage, motivate, teach, support, celebrate, and stimulate you to new levels of success.
1 Peter 5:9-10 reminds us by saying this. . .
Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.
That is why we need one another in business and life as believers.
Mentor relationships inspire us to grow
Are you excited? Do you want to know more about the Calling Clarity Community? Then, get on the WAITLIST by clicking the link.
What does mentoring look like? Sharing the qualities of listening, dedication to one another, and the 3Rs (responsibility, respect, readiness)
How can you find a mentor? By being inside a bigger community where you can have the connections that align with your values to find someone(s) quicker and easier.
Why are these mentor relationships important for your Christian business? Because God has called us to make disciples, and we get to do that through our businesses, BUT we need to have the right growth opportunities in place to do it successfully.
I hope this has inspired you to join the Calling Clarity Community. If you still have questions, let’s make an appointment to chat.
Leave a Reply