HOW MENTORS GIVE BACK TO HELP ADVANCE OTHERS THE UACPA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SECURES INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

BY KEVIN YEANOPLOS, CPA/ABV/CFF, ASA

Playwright

Anton Chekhov — no slouch in the smarts department — once said, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” Said another way: Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad.

The establishment of the UACPA’s new mentorship program will enable CPAs to put their knowledge to use by helping other professionals… and maybe make some killer fruit salad in the process.

The program provides an opportunity for experienced professionals to help students achieve their career goals, develop their skills and better serve their clients. The program is a result of the Emerging Professionals Council member’s interest in connecting and providing support and guidance to students, aspiring CPAs and new professionals. The goal is to link less experienced and potential CPAs to experienced CPAs so that they can receive guidance from seasoned professionals.

Mentoring is critical to developing and nurturing careers. It’s founded on mutual respect, trust, understanding, and empathy. While mentoring is generally focused on the needs of the mentee by helping them develop a clearer vision of the future, it benefits the mentor as well and can be very rewarding.

It can take many forms, including traditional one-on-one mentoring; group mentoring; short-term and skill-focused mentoring; and formal or informal mentoring. Mentors and protégés (mentees) discuss ways to improve professionally and exploring topics such as employee/employer relations; practice development; management practices; and networking.

Many of us already enjoy mentoring as part of our lives, whether it be personal or professional. As mentors consider being a part of the UACPA program, they might ask some of these questions: What are my motivations for being a mentor when I have such a busy schedule? What are my needs, expectations, and limits for a mentor/mentee relationship? What can I offer a mentee? Potential mentors should be brutally honest with themselves as they consider the influence, skills, knowledge, and other contributions they can offer. Potential mentors should acknowledge their limitations.

Similarly, potential mentees should consider the following questions as they become involved with the program: What