Peer to Peer Mentoring

Research undertaken by a Leadership and Management Development Council has revealed that, when it comes to pursuing skill development, small business owners are seriously constrained by a lack of available time and insufficient financial resources.  All small business operators, at one time or another, have struggled with the need to deal with issues and/or challenges about which they have minimal expertise or knowledge. As far as acquiring new knowledge, what today’s small business person is seeking is affordable, easy to access, timely, practical information that can be readily applied to dealing with the issues they are facing in their business setting.

While there are a wide range of options available to entrepreneurs who are seeking to enhance their management capabilities, not all of these options are available in all regions of their State or Province. And where skill development options are available, often the format is not geared to the needs of experienced entrepreneurs, or the manner in which it is being delivered is not hitting the mark in terms of attracting the interest of small business owners.

As a small business owner, what is the solution?  Do you put your head in the sand and ignore the problem?  The answer may surprise you. 

One particular process, peer mentoring, has proven itself to be a convenient, low-cost but highly effective way for developing small business management skills and, where it has been implemented, it has proven itself to be very popular in attracting participants over an extended period of time.  Recently a peer mentoring group celebrated their 20^th Anniversary.   

Why does peer mentoring work? Peer mentoring is simply “peers learning from peers” or “colleagues helping colleagues”. Peer mentoring works well because the format encourages and builds trust among the participants and it allows entrepreneurs to share their business concerns in a confidential setting where they are able learn from each other’s business experiences and knowledge. 

The model also serves to build strong support networks amongst members and provides them with the opportunity to access timely, practical, useful information from others who have experience in running a small business.

Have you considered starting a peer mentoring group?  Do you currently participate in a peer mentoring group?  We would love to learn from you.