A mentor is someone who can advise, counsel and guide you on your professional journey. At Farm Bureau Financial Services, we believe mentorship is essential to business success. That’s why we’ve created a culture dedicated to development and support. This support comes in a variety of ways, including being backed by our district managers, regional financial consultants, life sales advisors and field trainers.
Our agents share how a mentoring relationship has directly impacted their professional success.
Agent Spotlight: Armando Vargas, Omaha, NE
Agent Spotlight: Bruce Jones, Cherokee, IA
Benefits of Having a Professional Mentor
In any field, having a mentor can help mentees grow professionally. Especially in the business of insurance, which centers on building long-standing relationships within the community, a strong mentoring relationship founded on collaboration and mutual respect can impact professional development tremendously. When you are paired with the right mentor to support your personal and professional growth, you can expect:
- Insider perspective. You’ll get help growing your business from someone who knows first-hand the challenges of your industry, as well as the rewards. They will help you assimilate into the insurance industry and give you an insider’s view on how to navigate success.
- Continued education. A strong mentor relationship will present you with opportunities as you job shadow, role play and continue to evolve your business. They can help you gain the practical experience you need to master skills, tackle obstacles and transform into the leader you’ve always imagined.
- Accountability. Your mentor is someone to bounce ideas off of and to hold you accountable. They are also there to provide critical feedback and personalized advice when you need it, as well as to push you to define and reach significant short- and long-term personal and professional goals.
- Inspiration. The person mentoring you should be someone you admire and respect for their professional experience. When this is in place, a mentor will serve as a role model whose own experiences may challenge old thinking and inspire more effective approaches.
- Network growth. Your mentor is your advocate and will do what they can to open doors for you — within the organization, within your community or within your field of work. Your mentor relationship can introduce you to their network of contacts, which may expand your own.
- Leadership development. Agents in mentoring partnerships gain more than the specific skills and competencies they set out to develop. A mentor who is truly invested in your success will help you build leadership, teamwork and communication skills — all of which will add value to your business and the people you serve.
- Reverse mentoring. A strong mentoring relationship is built on collaboration and a commitment to the professional development of both parties. Many strong mentoring relationships provide an opportunity for each participant to learn from each other. The knowledge you share will be just as valuable to your mentor’s professional growth as their knowledge is to yours.
Benefits of Being a Professional Mentor
As a mentee, you can continue the cycle of mentorship by becoming a mentor. The benefits of being a mentor go beyond the satisfaction of helping someone else achieve their professional goals. They include:
- Affirmation of your own professional competence.
- Ability to give back to your company and industry.
- Opportunity to build coaching, leadership and management skills.
- Growth of your own network.
- Insights and different perspectives through knowledge transfer with future members of your profession.
- Ability to bridge the gap between generations with varying workplace values and styles.
- Addressing issues of succession planning and retention.
We Support You
No matter where you are in your professional journey, whether you are a seasoned insurance agent or someone about to start a business in insurance sales, you can benefit from having a professional mentor dedicated to your success. At Farm Bureau, we make finding the right mentor easy. Contact a district manager in your area to learn more about the support you’ll receive at Farm Bureau.