Do you need to look smart on your mentorship journey?

August is an exciting and significant month!

I'm participating in a mentorship program where I have the incredible opportunity to be mentored by prominent female leaders.

This made me quite nervous.

My mentor is exceptionally intelligent and a thought leader in her field. I knew she had a wealth of knowledge to share, and it was up to me to make the most of it.

I worried about how I would measure up and, more importantly, how I could avoid feeling foolish. I wanted to present my best self while also being genuine and real.

Best self vs authentic self

During a skillful coaching conversation, I realized this was a problem. I saw my best self and my authentic self as two different things. Without embracing my authentic self, I couldn't be vulnerable, admit what I didn't know, or be open to new perspectives.

This misalignment was holding me back from truly benefiting from the mentorship. This mentorship should be about learning new things, leveraging strengths, and gaining experience to become our best selves.

Which parts are you ready to show to get the best of the situation

Following this conversation, I was able to choose which aspects of my authentic self I wanted to bring into the relationship and what I preferred not to show.

I understood what I must reveal, while uncomfortable at first, to make the most of the mentorship. Specifically, I want her help to be able to have impactful conversations. In fact, now I am ready to even share that trying to look smart is one of my pitfalls!

This experience applies beyond mentorship context

If you, like me, feel pressured to present a perfect version of yourself to someone you feel is smarter or better, don't.

Allow yourself the the parts of you that enable you to stay real and help you grow into your best self.

Stay Courageous,

Joping

Joping is a Certified Self-Leadership Coach and a solopreneur in the making. She writes about everything in between intention and action, and believe courage makes the biggest difference.