Mentorship Program by Narisakti – your path to self discovery

The origins of mentorship can be traced to ancient India in the gurukul system. The first mention of the word mentor is in a greek poem by Homer written in 8th century BC where Goddess Athena makes an appearance to guide Telemachus who is the son of a king. Historians agree that the Guru-disciple system in Hinduism far predates this greek poem. In those days education was not meant for all which is why the modern world shifted to schools and teachers. One of the significant changes is that a teacher takes a periodic fee while the guru only accepted guru dakshina at the end of the training.

Before we go into the Mentorship Program by Narisakti in detail let us dwell into some technical definitions which may sound daunting to some of our readers.

The European Mentoring and Coaching Council headquartered in United Kingdom is one of the top bodies which provide mentorship accreditation as well as training in this field. They conduct a lot of research as well as provide a structure to defining mentorship.

Understanding mentoring

Depending on the situation and the need, a mentor can take one or many of the following approaches/models.

• Cloning – The mentor approaches the learner to make an exact copy of himself or herself.
• Nurturing – Mentor takes on the role of a senior who creates an environment for a learner to try out things.
• Friendship – This is the opposite of nurturing where mentor and learner are friends.
• Apprentice – This is a completely professional relationship.
• Rapid – Usually a single meeting lasting between one hour to a few.
• Community – Activities involving a group which are controlled by one guide or mentor.
• Peer to Peer – Mentoring between colleagues or members in a group.
• Situational – People coming together for a specific reason or clause under a guide or leader.

Benefits of mentoring

Studies have shown that mentorship induces significant changes in behaviour, attitude, health, motivation and social behaviour. That covers almost all what an entrepreneur needs.

Mentorship enforces the idea of the mentor being there for the learner. The most recent word used in place of learner is a mentee.

The two important ingredients are relationship and communication.

Though traditionally we see mentors as very senior and experienced, that has never been a rule against younger people mentoring others of similar or greater age.

After mentoring

At Narisakti we plan for the 3Ms, Mentorship, Marketing & Maximisation.

During the mentorship phase we focus on interactions which begins with a one on one talk and then move to interactions with a larger group. Every person you connect with is a potential client. So one of the most important component we target during this phase is interaction. Towards the end of this phase we also focus on the technical aspects of having a social media and online presence.

The mentorship program will be followed by the next phase which covers marketing. This phase explores opportunities on how to sell your product or service and finding out how to send across a message to your future clients.

Maximising stage comes next where all the skills you have picked up till date are then put to test. By the time you reach this point, you should be able to work out things on your own.

Nuts and bolts of mentoring

We shall begin with the two key elements which we mentioned earlier, relationship and communication.

Relationships begin with self which is why we begin understanding you first and then the relationship with your brand. Later we decode your relationship with the environment around you. The people you live with, work with and interact with your brand. We shall influence you to love everything that is related to your ability, skills and potential.

The connection between relationship and communication is that both can be opposing as well as supportive of each other. Good communication skills build great brands. But talking well is not enough. You need to use correct skills while interacting with clients. You have to align your thoughts to the need of your clients. Listening is the best form of communication. If you are able to tap into what is the demand, then you have decoded the right way to give what your customers are asking for.

We are always going to be there for you

Having a person who will stand with you is the best take away from mentorship. This program will aim to make you stand on your own with your own strength and will power.