WHAT IS MENTORSHIP CONSULTING – AND IS THIS TYPE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING RIGHT FOR YOU?

The practice of mentorship consulting is a type of professional coaching and advisory service aimed at helping individuals reach their full potential. A mentor consultant works with clients to provide guidance, support, and accountability as the client pursues professional or personal growth and development goals.

Where mentorship consulting firms stand at odds with traditional management or career consulting (which tends to focus on specific skills or objectives), pros here take a holistic approach to the client. A strategic advisor will get to know the client as an individual – including their values, passions, strengths and weaknesses – and will help uncover what is holding them back from achieving fulfilment or excellence. The point of a mentorship consultant is to challenge, encourage, advise and champion the client.

The first step in a mentoring consulting engagement typically involves identifying the client’s talents, abilities and interests and mapping these attributes to potential career or life paths suitable for the individual. The advisor partners to craft development goals and an actionable plan to achieve them through ongoing coaching sessions. Goals may relate to advancing in a career, improving skills, starting a business, enhancing relationships, improving health & well-being or pursuing creative passions.

While acting as an advisor and strategist, the mentorship consultant’s primary duty is to motivate and empower the client through regular check-ins and accountability measures. Advisors provide an objective, outside perspective to keep the client on track when they may be feeling doubtful or overwhelmed. The thought leader draws upon their expertise and networks to connect clients to people and resources that can propel their development plan.

Mentors say that consulting engagements can last from a few months to several years depending on the client’s objectives. More comprehensive engagements may touch on several aspects of the client’s life including personal growth, relationships, health, organization and finances. The point is always to unlock the client’s potential by building confidence, skills, good habits and motivation to reach their definition of success. With an experienced mentorship consultant’s guidance, clients can gain clarity of purpose, achieve career or life milestones and pursue their passions.