The beginning of your career is both thrilling and frightening too. Starting anything new is enticing, but the uncertainty of how you will do or how your career will unfold is also daunting.
Whether you have gotten involved in a new career, a new hobby, woodworking, gardening or in fact knitting, finding a mentor, someone experienced and trusted, can make the transition more relaxing and rewarding.
Finding a mentor is the first step in establishing a mentor-mentee relationship. Knowing yourself and your environment is essential, knowing what you wish to achieve paramountly. A possible plan can be of great assistance to your progress. Consider an identity-based mentor, especially if you need to talk about issues you facing as an underrepresented person in your profession or field.
A mentor can be a family member, a friend, a teacher, a fellow employee or any other professional. Perhaps it is a person you already trust, who you go to with questions. Asking a person of trust, or an organization that can lead you to an accepted mentor will help. Remember a mentor is a guide, not a stepping stone. Advice, leadership and enthusiastic direction are a mentor’s tools.
Being upfront, and specific about your needs will help develop this relationship. Such a relationship is very much like an agreed-upon bargain between two people. Keep up your end of the bargain. Communication has been and will always be key to the relationship. Sharing your goals with your mentor will keep both of you on track. Mentors can approach their place in the relationship in many different ways, possibly giving tasks that might help in your progress towards achieving your goals.
Be prepared for criticism. I know we don’t like to be criticized, but an objective opinion of us, the way we do things and how we think is essential. An open mind, with an accepting attitude, will allow our mentors to feel comfortable in their methods and approaches to mentoring us.
Mentoring someone is a demanding responsibility, requiring effort and organization. It can have big payoffs for everyone involved. A mentee must not be afraid to put themselves out there, obtaining as much knowledge and experience as possible. Learning valuable lessons and skills from someone you admire and who inspires you is what it is all about.
Soldiers, police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, teachers, farmers, lumberjacks, miners and students all over this globe need, use and become mentors.
What is the best way of thanking your mentor? Become a mentor yourself, passing on someone else all the knowledge gained from your past experience.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. trimmed its financial guidance as it reported its second-quarter revenue fell compared with a year ago.
The luxury clothing company says revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 29 totalled $267.8 million, down from $281.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to $5.4 million or six cents per diluted share, up from $3.9 million or four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Canada Goose says it earned five cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 16 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
In its outlook, Canada Goose says it now expects total revenue for its full financial year to show a low-single-digit percentage decrease to low-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a low-single-digit increase.
It also says it now expects its adjusted net income per diluted share to show a mid-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a percentage increase in the mid-teens.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
