What’s the importance of mentorship in business development? Vikrant Lakhanpal shares tips on how to find mentors and how mentorship can boost your career.
[embed]https://youtu.be/BQkP6ueN_OU[/embed]
Imagine the number of people in the world sitting today in their living rooms wanting to make an impact in business. They may have the best ideas and potential but may lack the knowledge to create a startup or become a business developer.
For business developers, their careers are a continuous learning journey. That’s why many of them turn to mentorship programs when they struggle to see results. In the digital environments we live in today, getting a mentor is as easy as sending a message on LinkedIn or any other platform.
In the 11th episode of the Let’s Talk BD Podcast, we chat with Vikrant Lakhanpal. Vikrant is a former student and current mentor of The BD School and a mentor for the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He’s also a Technology Integrator at Proline Energy Resources.
Vikrant talks about the importance of mentorship and how business developers can benefit from collaborating with mentors.
The importance of mentorship: Becoming a mentor
Vikrant’s path to mentorship started with a deep curiosity to learn more about petroleum engineering. He didn’t have anyone in his family who was a petroleum engineer. This was a moment that taught him the value that learning can bring to his professional life.
If you ask people about their business activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, most of them will say they had to shut their businesses down. Or that they fired tens of their employees. In contrast, Vikrant decided to open his own business during this time. Building on his father’s advice, who runs an automotive company, he soon came in contact with The BD School. Since then, his career trajectory has taken to new heights.
Apart from his business, Vikrant mentored young people during his undergraduate and graduate education. He now resides in Texas and wants to make an impact on other people’s futures through mentoring. His most recent accomplishment is receiving the SPE Exemplary Volunteer Award for his work.
Challenges of mentorship
Remember that time you wanted to send a message to a LinkedIn profile but refrained from doing so? Maybe their profile seemed too fancy and it made them seem unapproachable. In fact, that’s a common scenario with mentees. They often feel scared to start a conversation with a mentor.
Similarly, mentors often feel the same. As Vikrant mentions, a mentor can see the potential an intern has. But, it can get awkward pretty quickly. For example, not every person is open and willing, to be frank about receiving help from others. Surely, as a mentor, you don’t want to appear pushy or make it awkward either.
Vikrant counts many successes as a mentor despite these challenges. He credits one of his professors for being a great mentor to him. What started out as a project that he didn’t know how to approach in class, became a presentation at a conference and a published paper. Similarly, he’s helped mentees earn internships and attend prestigious universities such as New York University.
Vikrant’s advice for mentees is to never send a one-line resume. It’s important to be clear about what skills you need to improve and the situation you’re in. With a little bit of research and a good understanding of who you are, you can have a great collaboration with a mentor.
The importance of mentorship: Learnings
In every collaboration, whether it’s two people or a larger group, everyone gains something from it. Everyone involved contributes to a project. And everyone benefits from each other’s talent, skills, and expertise.
Mentees aren’t the only ones who learn from working together with a mentor. In fact, mentors use the experience they get from their mentees to improve their work. By being in contact with people of different nationalities or cultural backgrounds, they learn soft skills. They learn to empathize and connect with others. So, they develop a deeper understanding of the feelings and perspectives of next-generation business gurus.
How can a mentor help you?
When asked about some of the major advantages that business developers get from working with a mentor, Vikrant emphasizes three of them.
First, business developers get to learn from other people’s mistakes. In this way, they improve efficiency in their work and save time. They strategize their work better by not making the same mistakes.
Second, we don’t know what we don’t know. Unless you get a mentor. By having a mentor share their knowledge, you learn facts, tips, and concepts that you probably never heard of.
Third, being a business developer is about generating new growth opportunities for your business. Working with a mentor gives you the skills you need to improve your work. And find new opportunities based on the knowledge you receive. In Vikrant’s words:
“It’s a no-brainer. Go get yourself a mentor.”
VIKRANT LAKHANPAL
If you’re ready to take your career to the next level, join our live training!
What’s the importance of mentorship in business development? Vikrant Lakhanpal shares tips on how to find mentors and how mentorship can boost your career.
[embed]https://youtu.be/BQkP6ueN_OU[/embed]
Imagine the number of people in the world sitting today in their living rooms wanting to make an impact in business. They may have the best ideas and potential but may lack the knowledge to create a startup or become a business developer.
For business developers, their careers are a continuous learning journey. That’s why many of them turn to mentorship programs when they struggle to see results. In the digital environments we live in today, getting a mentor is as easy as sending a message on LinkedIn or any other platform.
In the 11th episode of the Let’s Talk BD Podcast, we chat with Vikrant Lakhanpal. Vikrant is a former student and current mentor of The BD School and a mentor for the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He’s also a Technology Integrator at Proline Energy Resources.
Vikrant talks about the importance of mentorship and how business developers can benefit from collaborating with mentors.
The importance of mentorship: Becoming a mentor
Vikrant’s path to mentorship started with a deep curiosity to learn more about petroleum engineering. He didn’t have anyone in his family who was a petroleum engineer. This was a moment that taught him the value that learning can bring to his professional life.
If you ask people about their business activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, most of them will say they had to shut their businesses down. Or that they fired tens of their employees. In contrast, Vikrant decided to open his own business during this time. Building on his father’s advice, who runs an automotive company, he soon came in contact with The BD School. Since then, his career trajectory has taken to new heights.
Apart from his business, Vikrant mentored young people during his undergraduate and graduate education. He now resides in Texas and wants to make an impact on other people’s futures through mentoring. His most recent accomplishment is receiving the SPE Exemplary Volunteer Award for his work.
Challenges of mentorship
Remember that time you wanted to send a message to a LinkedIn profile but refrained from doing so? Maybe their profile seemed too fancy and it made them seem unapproachable. In fact, that’s a common scenario with mentees. They often feel scared to start a conversation with a mentor.
Similarly, mentors often feel the same. As Vikrant mentions, a mentor can see the potential an intern has. But, it can get awkward pretty quickly. For example, not every person is open and willing, to be frank about receiving help from others. Surely, as a mentor, you don’t want to appear pushy or make it awkward either.
Vikrant counts many successes as a mentor despite these challenges. He credits one of his professors for being a great mentor to him. What started out as a project that he didn’t know how to approach in class, became a presentation at a conference and a published paper. Similarly, he’s helped mentees earn internships and attend prestigious universities such as New York University.
Vikrant’s advice for mentees is to never send a one-line resume. It’s important to be clear about what skills you need to improve and the situation you’re in. With a little bit of research and a good understanding of who you are, you can have a great collaboration with a mentor.
The importance of mentorship: Learnings
In every collaboration, whether it’s two people or a larger group, everyone gains something from it. Everyone involved contributes to a project. And everyone benefits from each other’s talent, skills, and expertise.
Mentees aren’t the only ones who learn from working together with a mentor. In fact, mentors use the experience they get from their mentees to improve their work. By being in contact with people of different nationalities or cultural backgrounds, they learn soft skills. They learn to empathize and connect with others. So, they develop a deeper understanding of the feelings and perspectives of next-generation business gurus.
How can a mentor help you?
When asked about some of the major advantages that business developers get from working with a mentor, Vikrant emphasizes three of them.
First, business developers get to learn from other people’s mistakes. In this way, they improve efficiency in their work and save time. They strategize their work better by not making the same mistakes.
Second, we don’t know what we don’t know. Unless you get a mentor. By having a mentor share their knowledge, you learn facts, tips, and concepts that you probably never heard of.
Third, being a business developer is about generating new growth opportunities for your business. Working with a mentor gives you the skills you need to improve your work. And find new opportunities based on the knowledge you receive. In Vikrant’s words:
“It’s a no-brainer. Go get yourself a mentor.”
VIKRANT LAKHANPAL
If you’re ready to take your career to the next level, join our live training!
