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In this  episode I speak with Hassan Akmal from Columbia University in New York. This 7 minute interview debunks mentoring myths and gives you tools to create amazing mentorship experiences.

“Mentoring” can be confusing, it’s MUCH more than just “having coffee and sharing stories”. When done right it can change lives. Hassan was fortunate enough to start experiencing mentoring at a very young age, but some people aren’t as fortunate. We discuss how to remedy not having a mentor in your life.

Hassan shares how tough love plays a role in mentoring and should be embraced so that you can learn faster than you ever could on your own. We also discuss the need for MULTIPLE mentors because each one will share different advice and give you a deeper well of knowledge to draw from.

Hassan shares some experiences from his previous role as Director of Career Services at Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business and lessons that you can learn from his tenure there including the role that leadership plays in mentorship.

A fun fact? You can have a mentor and not even realize that they are a mentor (and vice-versa) because the both of you are just looking at the conversations as getting and receiving help and not as a formal mentoring relationship. Whatever the relationship great mentors are great listeners. They listen, probe BUT they make YOU make the decision and take action.

A key message? Everyone needs a mentor!

 

About the guest:

Hassan Akmal, MBA, MPH, is the Inaugural Executive Director of Industry Relations and Career Strategies and Founder of the Career esign Lab at Columbia University. An alumnus of Columbia University, Akmal blazed a successful path as a visionary, Career Thought Leader, Chair of Career Education, and Director of Career Services at several universities in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. He is a former professional tennis player and International Athlete Ambassador to the United States, and serves on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) “Future of We” — Think Tank Committee. Additionally, he spearheaded Columbia’s “Career Week” —a five-day premier conference on the future of meaningful work, one of the largest career center events in the nation culminating with a Future of Career Services symposium.

With over 10 years’ experience leading career and professional development, Akmal teaches individuals the importance of capturing their career and life vision, elevating personal brand in multi-layered social media, leveraging self-awareness, and purpose alignment—he believes these elements are both the keys to maximizing career and the means of self-fulfillment. He is the Author of the Amazon Best-Selling Book—How to be a How to be a Career Mastermind™: Discover 7 “YOU Matter” Lenses for a Life of Purpose, Impact, and Meaningful Work. Akmal hosts exclusive global Career Mastermind™ Groups 3x/year that historically sell-out.