What’s the last piece of truly useful advice you were given? A piece of advice that went beyond being inspirational in the moment, and was something that you could take and turn into real action. The kind of action that would lead to you being able to level up in your career?

If it’s been a while, then I’d recommend getting yourself a mentor. If you’ve got a mentor and things have stalled, it may be worth reinvigorating that relationship.

I was reminded by my mentor that there is no one else like me.

Sounds simple, but there’s more! There is not one other person on this planet, who has my specific experiences and skills and can also do what I do, the way I do it. This was highlighted to me during mentoring and it was suggested that it would add value to my career, leveraging me professionally.

These words reminded me of an exercise I did: Clifton Strengths. Gallup Consultancy developed Clifton Strengths after decades of research. Their research states that the odds of someone else having your top 5 strengths (based on their unique list),  in the exact same order. are 1 in 33 million.

Understanding your strengths is key to your growth and development.

This reminder was what I needed to hear, at precisely that time in my career and enabled me to sharpen my focus.

Taking Action.

It’s important to remember that your mentor isn’t there to give you the answers…that will limit your personal growth.  The very best mentors actively listen and ask prompting questions to help you clarify your goals and understand how your strengths and unique set of skills could best work for you.

I took this advice, and looked at myself as a new venture and wrote out my personal value proposition. If you’ve not written a personal value proposition previously, I’d highly recommend it.

Although value propositions are mostly used by businesses to show the uniqueness of their products and services, the process of writing a personal value proposition is a great foundation for outlining your career strategy (link to professional development article).  Arielle.com is a good place to start, and has an article that highlights the following key questions:

This is one of the things that I love about a great mentor, it’s the comments, stories and questions that help you push yourself. And this is also why I think it’s important to have more than one mentor.

I’m a learner, I love to learn and when you’re having dedicated conversations with more than one person focused on your development, you’re going to learn more than a thing or two!

I’ve been able to connect with some amazing people over the course of my career, but access is a barrier for many. Remember, when you’re looking for a mentor, you’re not looking for a guru, so be open.

Be open to people who may not be anything like you and be open to people in different careers and industries. Don’t hold out waiting for access to the most senior person in your organisation. Consider a friend, who may be just ahead of you in a specific area and think about how you can grow together. Join a network, hey….join a bookclub 🙂 you never know who you’ll meet along the way.

Do you have a mentor? Have you done any mentoring? What have been the benefits of these relationships to you?

*Guider Stats have been referenced.

* Originally published in Women in Business Book Club.