Another fantastic ABM retreat in Monmouthshire
The recent 36 hour Association of Business Mentors (ABM) retreat in Monmouthshire gave a welcome opportunity for reflection and planning. The ABM is an effective and inspiring organisation uniquely supporting excellence in business mentoring. Research shows that companies where the leaders have mentors have a much higher success rate. One of the hallmarks of an ABM mentor is their commitment to their own ongoing learning and development combined with humility in knowing that no one has all the answers!
The ABM has within its membership a wide range of hands-on experience across business disciplines. This means that our mentors can draw on this wealth of wisdom to give additional support to our businesses when needed. The ABM is now (a) enhancing further the professionalism of our mentors and (b) enabling those looking for a mentor to find a good fit even more easily knowing that all our mentors have been vetted and are part of an ongoing assessment and development programme.
My thanks to Malcolm Durham, Simon Fordham, Peter Lynagh and Andrew Boswell for sharing their insights/experience and offering constructive challenge. Extra thanks to Malcolm for hosting us at his home in the wonderful Welsh countryside and offering us such warm hospitality!
In some recent research I was doing, I came across these two Harvard Business Review articles both of which are worth a read:
The first article supports a hands-on management style by a founder of a business. Hands-on though is definitely not micro-management! It is about supporting the people in the team.
The second article suggests that our career needs more than one mentor, including having those younger than us as a mentor. I know I have benefitted enormously from the wisdom of those supposedly ‘junior’ to me in years – their freshness, creativity, challenge, honesty and perception is of the very greatest value to me. Some of those reading this will know who you are – thank you!
David
