Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

How mentorship can change the way you see your brand

Your business is your baby and your brand is its carefully developed personality. As a business owner you should be very careful about how you put your brand out there – what channels you use, the language you use, the causes you choose to support, etc. However, sometimes when you are so singularly focused on creating a successful business and brand you can become stuck in one way of thinking. Before you know it, you have tunnel vision and you aren’t able to see a variety of possibilities and opportunities you are missing out on.

One way to avoid tunnel vision is to work regularly with a business mentor. A business coach is great, but a mentor is a relationship that you foster that is mutually beneficial – not financially based as a professional service offered. Globally, 93% of small and medium sized business owners agree that having a mentor can help drive business success. The sad part is that only 28% of business owners actually work with a mentor.

Working with a mentor will help you to change your mindset and approach to both your business and your brand, which can give you a fresh perspective on the opportunities you may be missing for your brand. A mentor is someone who has already paved their own path, someone you can learn from their mistakes.

In terms of branding, a fresh perspective will help you critically question the decisions you are making with your brand so you can have more control over how your audience perceives you. Discover what is working and what isn’t working based on your mentor’s knowledge of the industry and your target audience.

If you have a mentor that has turned on a lightbulb for you in terms of your brand, I would love to hear about it. If you are looking for a mentor that will be able to help you in your specific industry, Canadian Small Business Women is a great place to start! Find someone who is in your industry or a related industry and ask if you can ask them a few questions about how they got to where they are now. Every relationship starts with a  conversation!

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

 

Is Leadership Relevant for Everyone?

yvonne

When many hear the word ‘Leadership’, it is easy to associate it to someone who leads others, is in a position of power or management. However, this is easily one of the biggest leadership myths and misconceptions that is slowly changing.

Very early in life and my career, I felt that in order to effectively lead others or have others do something, you needed to be in a position of power. However, over time I have seen and learnt otherwise. I have observed the most influential and effective leaders are those who are able to lead and influence others without relying on the ‘stick and carrot’ approach e.g. leaders of volunteer organisations.

John C. Maxwell, regarded as one of the top global leadership experts, defines the true measure of leadership as Influence – nothing more, nothing less. Leadership is not directing, commanding or managing, leadership is influencing others to take action or follow; be it family, friends, colleagues, your boss or team.

Position provides a platform for anyone, but Influence is what keeps you in that position and takes you to the next level.

John also shares in his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” that our Leadership ability is the LID that determines our level of effectiveness, known as the ‘Law of the Lid’. Where our LID is the maximum level at which we can be effective.  Therefore, if our leadership ability were to rate at a 6, our level of effectiveness, and ability to lead others or impact our organisation could never be greater than a 5.

“The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence should be” – John C. Maxwell.

Why leadership is important

  • It determines our level of effectiveness in all areas of our lives; helping us to be more effective in taking a lead in our personal and professional lives
  • It increases our sphere of influence with others (team, colleagues, boss, family), as well as in leading others, and getting things done
  • It enables us manage and deal with change more effectively; helping us build character traits and skills to respond to change more quickly, and deal with the ambiguity that often comes with change
  • It differentiates us in a crowd to be singled out and recognised, and to rise higher and higher

To help raise your lid and develop your leadership skills, consider some of the following:

  • Identify your leadership gaps, have a leadership mindset and be intentional about developing yourself as a leader
  • Find a mentor(s) for 1-2-1 mentoring, or consider mentorship from a distance by studying, observing and learning from leaders you respect
  • Read books on leadership and self development
  • Attend leadership training, events and conferences
  • Surround yourself with other leaders – iron sharpens iron

Leadership is NOT always about title, position or power. It provides required traits and skills for everyone that when applied to both our personal and professional lives it helps us excel… “Everything rises and falls on leadership”.

What are your thoughts on the value of leadership?

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

Networks, Peers, and Mentorship

Martina New

As small business owners and solopreneurs, most of us seek out some form of business network. Whether for the purpose of marketing our business or to practice our elevator pitch, it is important to be part of a group that is external to our business.

Such connection may be downright essential for some. Being the one in charge of our business and handling all aspects of it can, at times, be overwhelming and isolating. Where is that sounding-board when you need one? Who provides the voice of reason when you are stuck in some way?

I recently learned more about some of the differences between a network and a peer group and their distinct advantages.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says:

  • A Network is a usually informally interconnected group or association of persons
  • A Peer is one that is of equal standing with another: especially one belonging to the same societal group
  • A Mentor (or business coach) is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced [and often younger] person

Here in Toronto, business networking groups abound and can be found, often bleary eyed, over early morning breakfasts or occasionally later in the day in cafés and restaurants. Typically meeting weekly or biweekly, their main goal is to provide one another with referrals for potential or actual business. Casual conversation before or after the formal meeting part allows little time to get to know each other’s businesses in much depth.

A peer group, on the other hand, usually meets less often, maybe only monthly. Here, business referrals take place more incidentally with the main focus being discussing business challenges. The group will brainstorm ideas on how to solve someone’s particular business issue. Peer groups can hence provide that missing sounding-board for solo business owners, where challenges can be reviewed, dissected, and step-by-step solutions be offered without having to hire a personal business coach. Like the latter though, it provides a platform for accountability.

A specific structure for peer groups is described in a book and method by Elizabeth Verwey, called The Mentors Circle. In a recent Lunch & Learn seminar, she shared how her background as business coach and desire to enable others to coach and mentor one another lead to her formulating this method and book.

A Mentors Circle is a peer group who meets once a month for two to three hours. A facilitator or leader guides the group through the steps and exercises laid out in the book. The group may review one or more case studies from attending business owners, and brainstorm together.

The difference to a networking or other peer group is that the group’s existence is, or at least can be finite, meaning they commit to just six months’ of meetings. This provides a start, middle, and end so that after completion of this time period members can choose either to stop or restart a new circle of meetings.

Finding an accountability buddy is also important. As Elizabeth says, the probability of completing a goal you set yourself is only 50% if you only plan how you are going to do it, and 95% if you commit to reporting back and make an appointment (or set a deadline by when you will do it). Fittingly, the “M” in Mentors Circle stands for motivation, “T” for testing new ideas, and “S” for support and success.

Your peers then, as well as the book and accompanying workbook, provide the mentorship aspects. While I enjoy and benefit from networking groups – bleary-eyed early mornings or not – I really like the sound of a guided and structured peer group. Now who will be my accountability buddy?

 

Sources:

Merriam-Webster online dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

The Mentors Circle, www.officementors.com

 

Martina Rowley is the founder and operator of Beach Business Hub – THE co-working space east of the Don Valley. She combined her passion and experience in the environmental sector with her community engagement side to create a local work environment where space and resources are shared. She fosters and facilitates collaboration, networking, and learning for and with small business owners and new start-ups.  Contact her at:http://www.beachbusinesshub.ca, on Facebook and on Twitter

The Mentor

Kerry George (1)

Several years ago I needed a mentor to continue in my educational path, so I approached a woman that I knew to be very skilled with many years of experience in my chosen career. She looked me over very shrewdly as she drank a cup of tea and then asked a piercing question, “Do you know what you are asking for dear?” She asked me to describe to her what I thought mentoring was and then she told me what mentoring meant for her. She laid out the ground rules and they were a standard that I have since come to live by. I knew from her instruction what a mentor was and how to follow a chosen mentor. I also learned how to become a mentor that would make a difference in the life of many.

What Is A Mentor?

A mentor is someone who has gone before you and who is willing to share insights on how to overcome during your own personal journey. A mentor is a friend that you trust and one whose advice you value. They are someone who you would follow. They are in life where you want to be and you can see that a relationship with them would help you get closer to your goals and save you from many pitfalls that you would certainly fall into on your own.

Selecting A Mentor

When you select a mentor you should be careful to pick someone who has similar values, so when they ask you to do something you are not continually questioning them. Often the mentor does not have a lot of spare time, and the act of mentoring implies that the one being mentored is there of their own free will having already made the decision to follow. A good mentor realizes that you have free will but as busy, successful people they may not be able to continually over-explain and sometimes one just needs to trust that the mentor has a deeper understanding of the situation and take their advisement.

The mentor that you select should be someone that you respect and admire. It should be someone that you want to listen to and that you aspire to be like. They are not going to be perfect people. Nobody is perfect. In time, you may discover weaknesses in their humanity and you will need to ask yourself if those weaknesses matter to your end goal. Are they things that you can live with? Are they irrelevant to their area of expertise? Or are they something that your own morals won’t allow you to overlook? If a mentoring relationship needs to be severed or adjusted it should be done so with the upmost of care. This is someone who took the time to sow into your life so you want to be honoring to them even if one must eventually take a different road.

How To Receive Mentorship

Successful people may be willing to sow into your life but not if they have to chase you. They are successful because they already know how to value their time. So they will usually require you to go where they go, and to do what they do so you can get a few minutes at a time with them before and after events. Volunteering to be part of their team can gain you the entrance that you need to get their time. Don’t take advantage of your mentor’s time. Respect that they are a professional in their field and that they are therefore in high demand. Others may pay them a lot of money for their counsel so if you are getting any of their time for free or for a small fee realize that this is a privilege.  Be on time when you meet them and try to fit your need for their time into their existing schedule as much as possible.

Don’t ask to borrow money or do anything that would affect the mutual trust that you have for each other. This is the last person you should ask to assist you in your drama. Your relationship should not be putting them into a position where they need to rescue you from your own bad management. A mentor is an advisor.

Value their advice and do what they tell you to do. In our democratic society many will take exception to this tidbit but here is the kicker, “Why do you want a mentor if you have no intention of listening to them?” Don’t waste their time with rebellion. If they are not worthy of being followed, then don’t ask them to mentor you in the first place. The whole idea is to accept the guidance of someone who can lead you to success faster than finding the way on your own. A mentor will save you time and money is mistakes that you will make. Learn from them and as you learn to follow you will also become a leader who is worthy of being followed. Someday you will be the mentor and you will be glad for the mentoring that you enjoyed along the way.

Kerry George is the owner of the Canadian Imperial Business Network which is currently the largest business network in Alberta and rapidly expanding across the country. She is a serial entrepreneur/author and speaker with a zest for life and a passion to help others succeed in increasing their potential and their bottom line. Kerry has several publications and blogs that you can follow and welcomes most interaction online.

Twitter

@createloyalty2U

@CIBNtweets

@yycbiznetwork

Blogs

http://loyal2u.blogspot.ca/

http://calgarybiz.net/blog-3/

http://kidsincowtown.wordpress.com/

http://loyal2u.ca/category/social-media-2/linkedin/

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women: