As the practice expands it would be really helpful for me to have mentor. I need some external and independent input on a one to one basis.
I am looking for a mentor who is a more experienced and successful (has expanded their practice from scratch to a substantail fee level) a person who acts as a role model, guide or leader. They have experience both in work and life world and who will share his/her experience provide advice and encouragment for my future plans.
I am looking for the following from a mentor:
- someone who will listen, is open minded to new ideas. Not just rely on tried and tested.
- someone who helps me explore opportunities
- someone who will advise me how to deal with difficult situations
- shares their experience and knowledge
- help me to stay ontrack and reach my goals
- stays independent – does not get to personal
What will a mentor gain from this?
- incredible satisfaction in being able to contribute to someone to grow
- a wonderful opportunity to improve their own learning
As a mentor you will have an opportunity to reflect on issues raised and perhaps address your own thinking and methods to make improvements. It can also stimulate a renewed focus on your own career development.
I doubt I will find someone, but I thought worth a try. I have nohing to lose.
Replies (20)
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there are mentors on the forum
What about contacting Finola McManus or Paul Shrimpling, both arte professional mentors. Certainly Finola was involved in a very successful practice
Honestly!
As you seem to be unwilling or unable to pay I'm not sure there is anything in this for the mentor. Why should a mentor invest their valuable time in you if you are not prepared to commit anything in return?
You would have to be very persuasive to convince any mentor with a charitable disposition that you are more deserving than a real charity.
-- Kind regards Andy
Interesting
@FirstTab - do you really have nothing to lose? What about time, money and energy? What about the opportunity to create the practice and life you want?
How do you know you need external input, maybe you don’t?
Do you really need a guide/role-model/leader…are you looking for someone to follow?
Why do you need encouragement for your future plans?
Good luck and I would suggest you will have more chance of finding your mentor if you include some money in the deal.
Bob Harper
Only a bit personal
Given that you've posted nearly 40 questions in the last month alone (and I don't think many are to do with technical stuff) my honest response is: what have we said to upset you? You've got a great free resource from hundreds of experienced old hands (and a few old feet).
Take action
@FirstTab - if face-to-face is needed then the answer is simple...call all the accountants in your area that fit your criteria and ask one of them to help you.
Bob Harper
Local Accountant?
I doubt these will be that helpful to someone they may perceive to be a competitor.
I am part of an informal small network of accountants (from different areas) who use each other as sounding boards. If one of us discovers something 'new' or beneficial to our practice we pass the info on. We meet up maybe 2 or 3 times a year. This only works well if everyone is willing to contribute, and not just take the good ideas without giving something back.
Perhaps you could get accountants from other areas interested in something similar?
Stop running, sit down and take a breath
As Shirley mentions I too value the opportunity for a get together with a bunch of accountants 2-3 times a year and also keep in contact with accountants I've worked with to share & contrast ideas etc however Bob asked a key question, ie are you looking for someone to follow?
Over the months I've been impressed with the depth and variety of issues you've wanted to address, ie many new businesses just put their head down and do the work, only worrying about methods & marketing when something goes wrong (eg money runs out). However the impression I get is that you are trying to run & rush at everything to try and build the "perfect" practice from scratch and that you are not giving yourself time to review & reflect.
Learning about what others do and what they have learned through decades of practice is only a small part of the process, it's the implementation of the ideas in your practice in a way that is right for you and your clients that is the hard part and it takes time. You may pick up a system that sounds good on paper but will you or your clients have to change the way you want to operate just to fit in with it?
For example, my dumping of time sheets, quoting and billing for the whole year's work up front and then charging extra if information is in late was something I took in bits from others and from what I read and took me 2 years to test and put in place but I fine tuned the individual elements to cater for this practice, not one I read about.
So, unless (as Bob queries) you are looking for one person to follow and are prepared to take the risk that s/he may lead you up the wrong path, you are better off taking the best bits of advice (from here and elsewhere) that actually fit with who you are, tuning them one at a time into what you do over months (not days) then put the kettle on and have another think.
Hope I don't come across as patronising I just think you're at risk of going bang!
Join Linked In
If you are not already join Linked In and then groups where you can ask questions galore and get connected for free, then you may discover new found wisdom. I don't mind guding to the light if as we will both benefit.
No shortcuts here
Hi First Tab,
I agree with some of the previous posters. You seem to be looking for the short cut to the perfect practice. I don't believe it exists or that anyone who has a achieved it would have the time to impart the knowledge that makes a perfect practice much less give it away for free.
The best way to learn is by doing. You will make mistakes, but I personally think the best lessons that you learn in business will be the ones you learn the hard way. But in the years to come you will sit down and look at what you have learnt over the past x years in practice and I think you will agree with me. I think. I've been known to get it wrong.
Sir Digby
All I would add
is that that getting a mentor who is not in the accountancy sector may open your eyes to different opportunites and ways of thinking....the idea of a mentor/coach should also be that it provokes you to think of ideas/solutions to the problems you currently have and also achieving your long term goals (and indeed whether those goals are yours or simply what you perceive as success).
I am note sure where you are based but there are a few programs run via local development agency's where mentoring is essentially free of charge...the North West Development agency has such a program but not sure about the rest of the country.
Best of luck
Supervision
Justsotax makes an excellent point. I have many contacts within the voluntary/charity sector and in there it is common practice for leaders & managers to employ outside supervisors to help with personal development. From my experience this (and much else that goes on in the voluntary sector) is sorely lacking in "our world".
Stop thinking, start doing
Don't think about it, bite their hand off.
-- Kind regards Andy
.
FirstTab,
I doubt you will get anyone to do it for £FREE and a warm fuzzy feeling. SWAT launched a mentoring program in 2008 it may be worth a look:
http://www.swat.co.uk/NewsViews/SWATNews/tabid/148/articleType/ArticleVi...
Another group which I joined in the early days and stayed with for a few years until I had got everything I needed from them and their approach is:
http://www.the2020group.com/site/home/
2020 Group - It may be worth going on some of their conferences that way you can talk to a mix of practitioners, always helpful.
Good luck.
Jason
Perfect practice
I agree with some of the previous posters. You seem to be looking for the short cut to the perfect practice. I don't believe it exists or that anyone who has a achieved it would have the time to impart the knowledge that makes a perfect practice much less give it away for free.
Sir Digby
Posted by Sir Digby Chick... on Wed, 10/11/2010 - 22:46
Agreed there is no shortcut but I DO believe the perfect practrice exists. Indeed I think there are numerous "perfect practices". The thing is they are all very different because "the perfect practice" is something personal to you.
For me, my practice is "perfect" because it gives me the kind of life I want, it means I can work in beautiful surroundings, and it provides a good living for everyone. Now someone else may hate it - they may think I should keep more money for myself and not waste money on charity work, higher salaries, etc. Someone else might find being based in the countryside boring and "lonely". Some people are only happy in a bustling, busy office, but others love working alone from home.
The "perfect practice" is what YOU want. It has nothing to do with profitability, location, size, or anything else. It is simply what YOU want. And I say "what you want" as opposed to what you THINK you SHOULD want. No one can tell you what the perfect practice is, only you, and you need to think really long and hard and be brutally honest with yourself about exactly what you really want.
This is why I object when salesmen try to tell you what you SHOULD do and try to sell you their "vision". They dont know what you want, and the odds are you dont actually know yourself.
reply to andy partridge
I see your number one subject came up again ' loadsamoney', do you always put yourself first?