You’re Not the Boss of Me

By Jeremy Salvador

“Do you have a mentor?” How many times have you been asked this question? Chances are, if you work in public accounting, you’ve heard this question more than once. To be successful in public accounting, having a mentor is not only encouraged, it’s almost expected. In networking with CalCPA, I’ve found amazing mentors. But all too often, people expect mentors to be bosses. So what’s the difference between a boss and a mentor?

Bosses buy your time. Mentors give their time.
Mentors give their time. You want a mentor who will understand that you are seeking advice—and this is not a five-minute job. Mentoring is not an event, or even a string of discrete events. Rather, it is the synthesis of ongoing events, experiences, observations, studies and thoughtful analyses.

Bosses tell you what to do. Mentors teach you what to do.
A good mentor is a good teacher. A good mentor goes beyond teaching something that you can look up in a book. You want a mentor who not only is knowledgeable about the accounting field, but who also has gone through valuable experiences so he or she can help you see a holistic view of your situation and guide you to take the right steps to reach your goals.

Bosses invest in the company. Mentors invest in you.
A real mentor has trust and believes in you. A good mentor should believe in who you are and help you recognize when you’re capable of more. A good mentor has the ability see you as a rough diamond and is willing to trust in your ability to flourish and shine.

Whether you’re looking for a mentor or you’ve been asked to become a mentor, what really matters is that mentoring can change a life and change the profession for good. You’re not the boss of me … you’re my mentor.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 11:58 am and is filed under Chapter News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.