12 Factors That Influence Firm Governance
Source: The CPA Journal
This article explains mentoring – an opportunity to offer professional and social support to a younger colleague – and discusses some of the challenges and benefits that mentoring presents. Here's a brief overview:
Unique Scenarios
- Mentoring a female professional may involve championing the cause of women within the organization as well as providing encouragement to the mentee that professional advancement is possible.
- A Caucasian mentor should be able to offer professional advice to a minority mentee but may need to help that mentee develop additional social support from other professionals who are also ethnic minorities.
Challenges
- A mentee may not have the talent or social ability to effectively further his or her career as a CPA, thus requiring the mentor to direct the mentee toward other career opportunities.
- If a mentee is unwilling to tackle new challenges, the mentor may have to have a direct, difficult discussion about the professional consequences of such an attitude.
- Underperforming mentees can reflect badly on the mentor's professional reputation.
- A mentee may become too dependent on a mentor, making it difficult to transition to greater responsibility and accomplishment.
Benefits
- Mentoring can result in improved job performance for the mentee as well as for the mentor.
- Successful mentoring reflects well on the mentor's abilities.
- Positive relationships with mentees can eventually become positive relationships with supportive colleagues.
- If mentees leave the firm, they can become part of a mentor's network, potentially leading to new clients and opportunities.
- It is personally satisfying for mentors to share their knowledge and experience.
- Working with a younger team member who has a fresh, enthusiastic perspective on his or her career can be contagious.
For the complete article, read “How to Be a Successful Mentor.”
From The CPA Journal, A Publication of the New York State Society of CPAs, May 2012, http://www.cpajournal.com.