Success From Soft Skill Mentorship
This blog article was written by Anish Patel. Anish is a current mentee on the Soft Skills Group Mentorship Programme, and is a Strength & Conditioning coach. As part of the programme, we talk about reflections and so Anish decided to write a short guest blog on his experiences in the programme so far. Thanks, Anish, and enjoy everyone!
Introduction
Enrolling on Dan’s soft skills mentorship programme was a no-brainer once I heard what was involved! Dan met me online and gave me confidence this was perfect for my development.
“As a young practitioner, fresh out of my degree in a growing S&C industry, I wanted to get ahead of my peers and dive into an untapped practice.”
Learning from Dan and other mentees in the program provides an opportunity to work collaboratively, adding value to my skillset as I progress on my journey. Below are my reflections so far. I hope they resonate with people in similar positions to me.
Getting out of my comfort zone
Each month I have developed my knowledge enabling me to better handle real-world scenarios. Listening to other mentees in a challenging environment has created multiple “lightbulb” moments.
Since entering the S&C industry, I have been under the wing of many coaches each holding a different philosophy. However, until this course, I hadn’t discovered enough about me, to cement my own philosophy.
Straight off the bat, our first session challenged me to question my purpose, values & behaviour towards work & life. These factors helped me establish my personal and professional philosophy with interchangeable values applying to both work and home life.
“As an introverted individual, being challenged in a group setting is difficult but, in these moments, I’m using what I’ve learnt from the programme to make me feel “comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
The working group within the mentorship program provides added value as we challenge each other and connect regularly, which provides further learning from those who have had more experiences within the field compared to me.
Bridging the gap between ambition & reality
Before joining the programme, my main goal whilst finishing university was to connect with others in the industry. Learning from and listening to others guides my ambitions. I realise this more than ever now and find myself in so many new and favourable conditions career-wise.
Connections are endless, and it’s up to you as the individual to make the most out of it (Dan pushes you to connect and meet with others outside the workshops).
Using the soft skills I’ve learnt through the programme to network, connect and communicate with other practitioners has been invaluable. I now have an increased network of 10 extra people in the industry who have joined me on this journey to date, as well as new external connections across the industry. These hopefully will be connections in my career for many years to come.
Upgrading my skillset
Each month that goes by adds another skill to my toolkit!
The main skill learnt throughout the programme would be communication.
Learning how to deal with different personalities with varied communication styles is vital to create good rapport with others such as other athletes/coaches or colleagues.
“From a young age, I’ve been introverted. Often I would find myself hiding and looking to other members of staff to speak to the senior team. From understanding how to communicate with different personalities I have now changed my thought process, approaching situations alone with confidence.”
Being taught principles, and then being challenged to apply them in real-world scenarios is a great method of mentoring. We have all been in an uncomfortable situation at some point in our lives but might have dealt with it in the wrong way or had a lack of awareness to act in that situation. Already I am reaping the benefits of recognising how I have to adapt my communication, but now it’s “in the moment” as opposed to letting opportunities pass me by.
Summary
In the time I have had Dan (and my group) as a mentor/mentors, I’ve learnt more than I could have imagined.
Learning the importance of soft skill development has been a valuable investment, and I am already taking new skills into the real world.
Not only has Dan opened up my network by bringing together a group of mentees of varied experience for me to access, he’s also aided my journey by widening my thought process with 1-to-1 support.
I would highly recommend investing in the mentorship programme as a way to fast-track your personal development. It is a clear a no-brainer!
Enrollment opens formally for the new programmes on the 14th November, with places limited.
So, if you’d like to be on the list to receive the information early, drop me an email to; info@collaboratesports.com and I will forward on my Ebook guide detailing the contents of the programme!