How to find a mentor post Covid-19

Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

Experts says that mentoring will be even more important after the pandemic. But finding a mentor won’t be easy. So even more important to listen to us «profesionals», Joshua Daniel wrote a good article called «6 Ways to Find a Mentor Post-COVID». He is working in Korn Ferry as a Career Coach and says:

«Judging from the social media profile, it looks like a match. You both share similar interests and experiences. Her posts are both funny and informative, giving the impression that you can laugh and learn from her. She has the experience you don’t (but need). And the best part is that there are mutual connections in common to provide an introduction. So should you ask this person to be your mentor?

Few people question the value of a mentor, but studies show that most workers—54% in one survey—don’t have one. And the pandemic and remote work has only made it harder, of course, given the challenge and awkwardness of trying to find one virtually. “There’s an element of tact needed when approaching someone regarding a potential mentoring relationship.»”

Read the whole article here

The Five Game Changers of Coaching

I read this post in an email from The coaching Institute and wanted to share it with you. The way we work, where we make our purchases, and spend our time is changing. 

Online coaches get to enjoy living in «the growing side of the economy.» The business advantages are so vast, we call them Game Changers. 

Here they are:

1. You can start with nothing

Most businesses require a specialized background or a sizeable financial investment. Not coaching, except learning coaching skills. 

There’s nothing you have to «bring with you» as a coach except your interest in helping people. 

You don’t need any kind of technological skills or educational background, be a particular age or gender, or live in a particular location. You’re needed just the way you are. 

Coaches can create a thriving coaching practice from home without having to make substantial purchases, learn complicated marketing systems, or even have a website. 

2. You don’t have to take risks

Most career changes involve risk, in that you have to leave your current workplace in order to start your new career. 

This is not the case for coaching! There are many ways to add coaching to your life on your own schedule without taking any career risks. 

For instance:

> Most of our students keep their day job as they study coaching and start developing a paying clientele on the side. 

> Some people choose to keep their current career, while practicing coaching as a meaningful second stream of income. This gives added income security.

Bottom line: as a coach, you get to call the shots. Add coaching to your life in the way that best serves you, without having to take any kind of professional risk. 

3. No Geographical Restrictions

Have you ever thought your income and career were limited by where you live? 

Yes, that used to be true. But it’s not true anymore. 

There are hundreds of millions of people online who are perfectly qualified to be coaching clients – nice, stable people with good incomes who are hoping that coaching will bring improvement to their lives. 

These clients don’t care where you live. What they want is quality coaching that can move their lives forward. You may never meet those clients in person. 

Therefore, as a coach, you can run your business from anywhere in the world, with no restrictions. 

4. Time freedom

Many of us have complex lives, with family, work, or other obligations that occupy our schedules. So it’s important to have a livelihood that is time-flexible. You want to be able to do your work in a way that fits your life.

As a coach, you get to design your coaching practice around your needs. Do you like to keep several days of the week completely free for your own use or for your passion projects? Great. Do you like to keep a whole week work-free every month? Super. Do you like to work until 11am every day and have the rest of the day for other things? It’s your option. 

Whether you have another profession, a full family life, or creative projects you want to work on, coaching gives you the time freedom to grow and develop yourself. 

5. Pandemic proof

The world has changed. Any business or career that requires customers to be physically present is in constant danger of having to close its doors. 

People are having to wake up every morning and check the news to see whether they’re likely to be sent home, or, worse, risk getting sick at work – or bringing sickness home. That’s not how life is supposed to be! 

It’s actually safer to have your own online business, that you get to run from the comfort of your own home. 

Unlike street businesses, which depend on local people to come in every day, as an online coach, you have a massive customer base: everybody on the internet. An online coach only needs 10-20 paying clients at any one time. And there are hundreds of millions of them.

The Sky Is The Limit

Coaching is the ultimate way to get started online. It’s easy to start. It’s purposeful, rewarding, and you learn so much about life and people. 

And if you’ve ever had dreams of doing something else – writing a book or leading groups, for instance, coaching is the perfect way to get there.

Coaching gives you the skills in creating change, a strong knowledge of human nature, and a working confidence in helping anybody make positive changes. It gives you stories of transformation from your coaching practice to share with your public. 

This was a post in an email I received from The Coaching Institute in 2020

Are you tired of you?

Do you know the feeling of being a little tired of yourself?

A little tired of everyday life? A little fed up with the way things are?

Here’s the good news: Your tiredness can be a good sign. A sign that you need a transformation. Not thinking about a big external transformation, but of an internal transformation. Because when we feel a little tired in life, it is often because something new is calling us. Something that is more true for us. Quite often, unfortunately, we don’t really get anything done about it. And yet: A crisis hits and tickles us even more. A person you meet on your way awakens something in you.

A book you read goes into a deeper way than usual. Your inner pressure is becoming more and more pressing. Something is calling you. A transformation is lurking around the corner. For me, Corona has caused such a transformation. From having a very full life, where many people’s needs were met (perhaps you know that?) I was suddenly «forced» to quite literally be at home and present in the very close. In time, it would also prove to be a way to – in a figurative sense – be more at home in myself. At first I felt resistance. As we often do when something new comes knocking.

Even if we can feel that it is right for us. Then I got angry: «Why did this have to happen». Anger is (also) often a sign that an inner change in you is intruding. And then, after a frustrating time, I try to change my perspective on the situation we were in. Step by step, my approach to the new situation changed.

I started looking at what story I was actually telling myself and the outside world about the Corona situation. I started looking at my beliefs about the consequences of the Corona epidemic (and there were many of them). And I began to look at my perception of my everyday life as it was before and as it was now, in the middle of the storm. And that changed something. Perhaps you have tried the same or something similar?

Transformation is a big challenge. At the same time, it is also a great opportunity. An opportunity to develop. Move forward in life. What do you want to transform?

Mentoring is a powerful tool

My mentorblog is all about mentoring — what it is, how it works, how you can learn it and also how you can use mentoring to reach your goal!

Mentoring is a powerful and popular way for people to learn a variety of personal and professional skills. In fact, they say that mentoring is one of the oldest forms of influence. And I have been so lucky to work with mentoring and mentoring program for a lot of years now and find it still fascinating.

How to make yourself happy

In these times with covid-19 it is even more important too allow yourself
to be happy.


– Write down 5 things that make you happy! –

The reason you should do this is to stimulate an area in 
the brain that produces the happiness 
hormones. Notice what makes you happy 
and do it more...

How to be relevant at work in the future

It’s not just about keeping up with technology. Interpersonal skills will be at least as valuable to companies in the years to come

Yvonne Fosser wrote that in the new business magazine in Norway called AW (Asking Why).

I totally understand what she thinks and I really agree, and together with being update on your field of expertise. I got five tip for always stay relevant. And my tip no. 5 is maybe a bit strange, but if you have been in the business for a long time, try to get a young person to be your mentor. It’s called reverse mentoring.

1. Take responsibility, then you will get opportunities and you will gain trust.

2. Be constructively critical. Management needs input on what can go wrong, and suggestions for improvements

3. Be an active co-worker

4. Help your colleagues

5. Get a mentor, if you have worked for a long time consider reversed mentoring.

Master Practitioner Accreditation

Dear Thor-Erik,

CONGRATULATIONS!

I am pleased to officially confirm the award of your EMCC Global Individual Accreditation (EIA) and Professional Designation at Master Practitioner level. The details are as follows:

  • Awarded to: Thor-Erik Gulliksen
  • EIA awarded: 17 August 2020
  • EIA valid until: 17 August 2025
  • EIA reference number: EIA20204125

This email come in my inbox in the today from Sarah Lester who is
EMCC Global Accreditation Administrator.

OMG I was so proud and glad after a long time with processing, writing and reflecting on a high level and after interview as well.

Mentoring program in Covid-19 times…

In the middle of one of my mentoring programs Covid-19 strikes. And then Norway went into total look down, and almost everything was closed (schools, children garden, bars, restaurant etc) and we were not allowed to meet people. it was like you almost need a permit to go to your office.

In my department all started to use Microsoft Teams, for teaching, training, meetings and discussions. So for one of my mentoring programs it was quite easy to start using Teams for meeting their mentee or mentor.

So when we where closing down the program after one year, we also used Teams, for discussions, feedback and small talks. We misses to meet in real life (IRL), but this was ok as a replacement. But we all miss the dinner.

So yet another program is over and I think the meeting on Teams was a good replacement, but next time we are hopefully back IRL.

Mental health – can we use mentoring

Mentalhealth.gov says that Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.

In the last year with pandemic and lock downs mental health has been more than buzz words, and of course more people have been affected. I always have faith in mentoring and what that can do, but I read this article on linkedin.com that I also want you to read.

Nicola Cronin says that the 2020 Mental Health Awareness Week theme is kindness — which couldn’t be more relevant given the state of the world right now.

Since Covid-19 spread across the globe, isolating people to their homes and disrupting the way we live, something that has stood out most is kindness. Our social media feeds are brimming with stories of acts of kindness from strangers, neighbours are speaking for the first time ever, communities are thriving. 

But what aboutbmentoring? Well at its core, mentoring is about helping another person. The term mentor refers to somebody who advises, supports and guides another in the right direction.

There are many benefits of mentoring, which is why this type of relationship is established in schools, universities and organisations the world over. Many celebrities have cited their mentors as having played a huge role in their success, and finding a mentor is on the top of many people’s career development lists. But less often discussed is the positive impact for both the mentee and the mentor that the relationship has on mental health and wellbeing.

Read the whole article here

Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash