“The Secret Weapon to Fast-Track Your Success”
Captain’s Log: Day #26 of my 30-Day Challenge to write a 500-word article every day for the next 30 days.
Most of us want to be able to speed up our progress and be able to achieve a lot in a short span. If there’s anything that the pandemic has taught us, is that life is short. Things can happen in the blink of an eye, and that’s why you need to maximize your time.
Nowadays, there’s a lot of content that’s available online and if you really want to learn on your own, that’s very possible provided that you have the self-discipline, commitment, and perseverance to do this. But there is one thing that will help you speed up your process and get you over the hump.
Before I get into that, let me just tell you a quick story. A couple of years ago, I was a newbie in the Contact Center Industry. I was eager to prove what I can do and wanted to rise up the corporate ladder. So when I got hired as a Customer Service Representative, I wanted to be the best in my team, and overall in the account that I was working with.
I would spend extra hours in the office just to learn about the product that we were supporting and it did me well because soon, I was getting attention from the leadership team. I would get good Quality scores, and my teammates would often turn to me for advice whenever they have questions related to product knowledge and call handling.
Soon, I was able to get promoted as a floor walker or a Subject Matter Expert. I felt great! It was a validation of my hard work and efforts and I wanted to continue to get better and get promoted. However, I hit a glass ceiling.
It was not until later when I found out what was missing that I was able to move up the ranks and get promoted.
You see, learning on your own can be a good trait. It means that you’re resourceful and you have a passion for self-development. But there is also a drawback. You won’t be able to get feedback or get a more structured way of learning.
And that’s where a mentor comes in!
Having a mentor is like having someone in your corner. They will push you when you feel like giving up, motivate and inspire you to be your best and they also help you unlock the opportunities that are available to you.
One of my mentors in the office back then would teach me how to go about a daily routine, like writing down a to-do list and getting to know your people on a personal level. Those are some of the things that you can probably learn on your own through reading or watching a training video, but having someone show you the ropes can definitely speed up your process.
Here’s my personal guide when looking for a mentor.
Find someone you relate to and want to emulate. Of course, nobody’s perfect but you can emulate a person’s traits or character. Find that person that you connect with and learn from them, observe, and ask questions.
Learn from one mentor at a time. I discovered something when I was learning to play piano. I can play a song in different ways and each way might sound correct. However, when I tried learning it from different people, it took me a while to master the piece. The same can be said for mentors. Try to learn from just one in the beginning so you can master what they are teaching you.
Innovate and learn from others. This might be counter-intuitive to what I mentioned above but hear me out first. Just like with playing the piano, I realized that once I learned the song, I can make some arrangements or personalize it based on my taste or preference. The same can be said when you learn from mentors. Once you have a firm grasp of the subject, explore and learn from other mentors as well to widen your view of the subject and get deeper knowledge.
Finding a mentor can be a difficult thing, but it would be one of the most rewarding things you can do to hasten your progress in your professional or personal development. Go find one and maybe someday, you can pay it forward and mentor another person. Have a great day!
