The value of mentorship goes well beyond the rewarding feeling of helping others.
Atif Pervez CPA, CA
While it is well-known that mentors can play a supportive role in the career of a mentee, it is often less recognized that mentees can also help mentors grow as professionals.
“As a mentor, I have improved my level of emotional intelligence and leadership, and learned to adapt to my audience,” says Atif Perez CPA, CA, who has participated in mentorship within the profession since 2015. “I have learned a lot from my mentees in the areas of organization and communication.”
Atif attributes a great deal of his professional growth to his involvement in the mentorship program, a sentiment that is echoed by many others.
Professional growth
Many of the mentors in the CPA Alberta Career Development Mentorship Program say their experience led to numerous professional growth benefits. These include developing leadership abilities, building stronger communication skills, broadening of professional networks, and becoming more open toward new perspectives and points of view.
For Atif, building his leadership skills has been most rewarding.
“I was delighted to see how my mentees improved, and I still keep in touch with most of them,” Atif says.
When it comes to being a mentor, he believes it’s crucial to build upon the mentee’s strengths, while providing tools they can use to achieve their goals. He explains that this is also important when mentoring an individual who is new to the country, as leveraging what they already know is an important step in growth and improvement.
“By building trust, the mentoring relationship can grow positively.”
“I was delighted to see how my mentees improved, and I still keep in touch with most of them.”
Atif Pervez CPA, CA
Supportive Program
To support mentors in building positive relationship with their mentees, the program offers a wealth of resources—something Atif believes is beneficial for all participants.
Since the launch of the program in 2015, feedback from participants has helped shape and improve how the program is delivered. A new portal is now used to facilitate communication and an initial questionnaire has been enhanced to improve the mentor and mentee connection process.
The program also offers meetings in which all mentors and mentees are invited to share their experiences and learn about the approaches of other mentors. With plenty of online resources for both mentors and mentees, and communication and feedback offered by the CPA Alberta team, participants have noted the program is well-designed.
Growth mindset and sense of gratitude
Like many other participants in the program, Atif believes there is significant value in hearing fresh perspectives from mentees and other mentors. “You learn about yourself and others, which helps you have a growth mindset. It helps you think about what you need to improve and what is necessary to grow in the current environment as a professional.”
“You learn about yourself and others which helps you have a growth mindset.”
Above all, Atif says that his volunteer efforts have been very rewarding. “Your mentorship helps to grow careers and develop professionals. Ultimately, you feel a deep sense of gratitude.”
Become a mentor – Apply before October 15!
Interested in becoming a mentor this year?
The program is now open for applications! The deadline to apply is October 15.
For more information, visit www.cpaalberta.ca/Services/Career-Centre/Mentorship-Program.
If you have any questions about the program, please email mentorship@cpaalberta.ca.
