Mentoring has now become a routine experience for those entering broking, and a new Harvard Business Review guide suggests what to do when it’s time to move on.
Mentoring has now become a routine experience for those entering broking, and a new Harvard Business Review guide suggests what to do when it’s time to move on.
Don't worry; neither MPA nor the Harvard Business Review has taken to offering relationship advice; dazzling your one-and-only is beyond the realm of this publication. But new brokers have to deal with another minefield at work: dealing with their broking mentor (and vice-versa). The MFAA requires new brokers to pay for mentoring, a policy which has met with criticism from the FBAA. So if you’re been left in a marriage of in-convenience and want to move on, it’s time to read on.
It’s not you, it’s me
The MFAA program is highly structured. But if you’ve come to the end of the mandatory two-year period, or are involved in an informal mentoring relationship, you need to keep your goals in mind. Are you still learning? And, an equally important question; are you learning the right stuff for your chosen career direction? It may be that your mentor helped with the basics, but doesn’t share your specialism. Or maybe they do – have you really taken the time to ask them? Mentoring needs to be a two-way relationship, advises the HBR.
Contain those tears
First piece of advice for mentoring break-ups: don’t drag it out. Whilst the HBR doesn’t comment on the etiquette of calling vs. texting, for example, it notes that if you aren’t getting much out of a mentoring relationship you’re wasting you mentor’s time, and you should point this out to them. Keep the focus on yourself: explain why your career is moving in a different direction, and stay positive.
Undoubtedly, mentoring can be an incredibly positive experience, in broking as in many other industries. For a start, it gives you a valuable professional connection, if you can keep on good terms with them. That’s why the HBR advises you not to “burn bridges”, and to keep in mind that you may be able to offer them guidance in the future, just as the reverse may also be true.
Have you gone through a painful break-up with your broking mentor? Or are you a mentor or trainer with advice to give? Email us now (anonymously if required).
Don't worry; neither MPA nor the Harvard Business Review has taken to offering relationship advice; dazzling your one-and-only is beyond the realm of this publication. But new brokers have to deal with another minefield at work: dealing with their broking mentor (and vice-versa). The MFAA requires new brokers to pay for mentoring, a policy which has met with criticism from the FBAA. So if you’re been left in a marriage of in-convenience and want to move on, it’s time to read on.
It’s not you, it’s me
The MFAA program is highly structured. But if you’ve come to the end of the mandatory two-year period, or are involved in an informal mentoring relationship, you need to keep your goals in mind. Are you still learning? And, an equally important question; are you learning the right stuff for your chosen career direction? It may be that your mentor helped with the basics, but doesn’t share your specialism. Or maybe they do – have you really taken the time to ask them? Mentoring needs to be a two-way relationship, advises the HBR.
Contain those tears
First piece of advice for mentoring break-ups: don’t drag it out. Whilst the HBR doesn’t comment on the etiquette of calling vs. texting, for example, it notes that if you aren’t getting much out of a mentoring relationship you’re wasting you mentor’s time, and you should point this out to them. Keep the focus on yourself: explain why your career is moving in a different direction, and stay positive.
Don’t burn your bridges
Undoubtedly, mentoring can be an incredibly positive experience, in broking as in many other industries. For a start, it gives you a valuable professional connection, if you can keep on good terms with them. That’s why the HBR advises you not to “burn bridges”, and to keep in mind that you may be able to offer them guidance in the future, just as the reverse may also be true.
Have you gone through a painful break-up with your broking mentor? Or are you a mentor or trainer with advice to give? Email us now (anonymously if required).
