My Mentor, An Asset

I have just completed six monthly sessions of mentoring with Ian Morton of Concept Shape (www.conceptshape.co.uk). I can’t believe my good fortune and need to try and capture the power of that process here.

In 2010, I registered the company Soko ID Ltd. I needed a professional and business home, of my own, where I could create and build value for the rest of my working life. If I had foreseen all the difficulties and struggles of setting up the company and business, I probably would have abandoned the idea. Everything from registration to selling has been harder and taken longer than I had anticipated. Perhaps, because of these challenges, the powers of the universe have provided me with unexpected and valuable opportunities. Ian, an experienced management consultant and trained mentor, has been one such opportunity.

I am a Chevening scholar. Recently, Leadergen Ltd (www.leadergen.com) was contracted by the UK Department of Trade and Investment to initiate a project to support Chevening entrepreneurs in enhancing trade with the UK. I was linked up with Ian as a part of this project.

At the time, I had only a vague idea of what mentoring involved. I had an image of a frustrated mentor/senior professional unable to get the mentee, with limited competencies, to perform to the mentor’s standards. Mentoring appeared more like those add-on practices that simply keep the management profession in vogue. However, the lonely struggle in setting up Soko ID made me amenable to any help I could find.

Ian Morton has been a lot more than help. His knowledge and insights have moved me from groping in the dark to a clearer and more defined entrepreneurial path.  I now have a crisp ‘elevator pitch’ that I have used on a couple of occasions. The term ‘business strategy’ is, for Soko ID, a live map with areas on which the business plan is spread out. I am conscious of the equilibrium of the sales pipeline to ensure that the business does not operate in stops and starts. In other words, I have a mini MBA, courtesy of Ian and through Skype, which I never paid for.

While new knowledge is a key product of good mentoring, it is the actions demanded of the interaction that are its real power. Ian suggested that I do things that were difficult and where the possibility of rejection and failure was high. For example, initially I had planned to sell the branding service Legacy ID by first mailing out well produced brochures. Instead, Ian advised that I try calling first to generate interest before sending out mail.  It was a terrifying prospect and I felt like a doomed insurance salesman. The first call was a disaster – I talked too much, completely confused the prospective client and perhaps drove him away forever. A few calls later, I was actually having fun and getting better at articulating the service. Ian was later to caution me that these calls and conversations had to have a plan with specific goals – otherwise I would be ‘doing coffee’ until it was coming out of my ears…

Although this is a blog entry of the value of mentorship, I cannot promise that all mentoring experiences will be as successful as mine. Ian took the relationship as seriously as I did. He gave me sessions of two hours when only one hour could have sufficed. He never complained about my ISP when the internet connection faltered. He was positive and motivated at every session even after exhausting flights around Europe. Additionally, he has provided me with a catalogue of useful books for reading and reference. He also accepted to be profiled on Soko ID’s website and has written me a great reference.

Ian Morton has been a valuable asset for Soko ID and am very grateful.