Owners of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) are people who do things by themselves. They do not have the luxury of being spoon-fed. The famous philosopher and the founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, is credited as the originator of the oft-quoted saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This applies in many spheres and SME owners are very well aware of that. They do what it takes ― be it rolling up their sleeves, sourcing funds, or managing their people. Many of them also have one or more go-to persons who may be mentoring them and even acting as an agony aunt when needed.
The original management guru, Peter F Drucker, alluded to this long ago. He said, “Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you.”
Here we will look at one aspect which will help orchestrate the energy of the people around the leadership team. We have spoken about mentorship. To quote Peter Drucker again, “No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.” This reinforces the fact that mentors gain a lot from mentoring others. All good managers mentor their teams. Here we are talking about a programme where there is no reporting relationship between the mentor and the person who is being mentored.
1. Be open to ideas: Keep an open mind while conversing with the mentor. There should be a willingness to pay attention to the mentor’s experience and ideas, even if they are very different or even polar opposites to your own ideas or thought process.
2. Be open to experiment: It is said that if you only learn the things you need for your present position, you will be obsolete. Learning proactively by dipping one’s feet into new areas where one is perhaps a beginner and willing to experiment with different methods of working, learning, and interacting, is important.
3. Be honest: A mentor is generally someone who is accomplished and sought after. To get maximum value, think of the problem that you want inputs on. Think of it like going to your family doctor. The more accurately and completely you can describe your symptoms and circumstances, the more likely the doctor will make an accurate diagnosis and help you heal swiftly.
4. Be truthful in your expressions: The conversations between a mentor and mentee are confidential. Good mentors will not use this information to illustrate a point or to gossip. Similarly, the onus of keeping the details that are revealed by the mentor confidential rests on the mentee.
5. Mentors need not have the right answers: A good family physician will refer you to a specialist whenever there is a need. He does not and cannot claim to have all the answers or all the knowledge needed to make a correct diagnosis. A mentor can be your go-to person, but not a one-stop-shop for all your queries and problems.
6. Have an attitude of respectful gratitude: It is important to respect the mentor’s time and accommodate their priorities. Turning up on time for the meetings, being prepared, sharing updates, and expressing your gratitude for their engagement with you will help form a long-term bond. The accountability lies with the mentee to follow up on their action items. Keeping the mentor appraised and updated helps them feel valued.
The most important ingredient in all organisations, which is even more applicable to SMEs, is the ability to learn. In a good SME, people do not wait for a Job Description to get to work and get things done. They jump into the work and get it done, either by doing it themselves or by taking help.
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.), said it best. “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” This means that menteeship is an important ingredient in the recipe for being a successful leader and helps one learn skills. Finding mentors and getting their support will help in this regard. The bonus is the opportunity and ability to analyse situations and ideas with a wise person and do it differently or better and sometimes, not doing it at all.
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