Many of us would agree that someone provided us advice or counsel along our journey in life. Wouldn't you say it helped you tremendously? This is mentoring in one of its simplest forms but should it stop there? We owe it to ourselves and those that follow to share our knowledge and experiences with others.
There are myths and misconceptions about the insurance industry. Some would think it’s only about sales. Although that’s a big part of the industry, there are a plethora of jobs available requiring a variety of skills. With mentoring, we can clarify and even encourage others to learn more about the many careers available. One avenue is via a mentoring program. How do we start?
Build a mentoring committee leadership team and provide expectations:
- Be engaged—support active participation of the program
- Create framework for open dialog
- Actively participate in periodic checkpoint sessions
- Develop activities and workshops in support of participant goals
- Provide information and perspective
- Be a resource as needs arise
- Seek feedback from participants and leaders
- Follow through on commitments
- Help define what success looks like
Develop a vision map:
- Determine the definition of success for your program.
- Develop a structure that will help you monitor and evaluate the contributions of those involved
- Create a participation form for mentor/mentee to complete
- Develop a selection process for participants
- Ensure you have a clearly defined communication strategy
Identify your audience:
- Visit the local college or university
- Reach out to a local business club
- Attend the meeting for a non-profit organization focused on education and growth
- Sign up to volunteer for a community event
- Be prepared to engage leaders of your participants throughout the program; make sure all voices are in the room
Identify a resource:
- Visit with your local CPCU chapter to develop a focus on mentoring upcoming or potential CPCU candidates.
- Work with your chapter board to identify mentors
- Visit with chapter committee chairs to identify mentors
- Send out a survey to measure or capture interest in serving as a mentor
- Talk to your employer
- Evaluate the possibility of bringing in a mentoring component to a current philanthropy effort
- Discuss the advantages of creating a mentoring initiative on behalf of your organization—be prepared to address possible challenges
Include a continuous improvement component:
- A standard mentoring partnership generally last six months but give participants the option to continue longer if so desired
- Empower mentoring pairs to maximize their time within the program and hold them accountable for reporting progress
- Allow participants to provide feedback that can be utilized to revamp the program for the next term.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Would you consider this mentoring partnership a success? Why or why not?
- As a result of this experience, what knowledge and skills did you gain?
- What could we have done to improve your experience as a participant in this program?
- Will you continue your relationship beyond the original agreed time?
Whether we’re sharing insights with a future CPCU new designee or a freshman in college seeking to know more about the industry, let’s remember this excerpt from the The Institutes Community site, “Knowledge sharing is a core benefit for members of the CPCU Society and CPCU® designees. We are a community that places high value on learning, networking and career advancement, all of which are supported by knowledge sharing.” Let’s remember these words as we begin, continue or expand our mentoring journey.