Everyone needs a mentor.
There is no doubt that mentorship has positive lift for young and old,
job seekers and career ladder climbers, students and teachers, managers and
individual contributors. I have often
argued that not only are mentors valuable, but a board of mentors is perhaps
the best path to objective, savvy and smart advice for weathering both storm
and good weather. I recently read a post that noted many people do not have a
mentor or even a clue how to find one.
Herewith are some pointers on preparing for, identifying and
securing a mentor or mentors to keep you soaring in all that you do, all that
you aspire to and keeping you sailing through life and your career.
Mentors can come from coworkers, colleagues, congregations, family, fans, friends, professional associations, strangers and
teachers.
Mentors provide advice, challenge, clarity,
meaning, navigation, objectivity, perspective, purpose and trajectory.
Be visible in all of your avocations,
professional pursuits and socializing. Be
seen as smart, human and approachable.
Always reciprocate good works and the help you receive along the
way.
Take stock of your network and make a list of people who you believe could give you sound counsel and advice. Leave no stone unturned employing all of your relevant social infrastructure platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Quora, Snapchat, and Twitter, to name a few.
With the list in hand, identify the characteristics most important to you in terms of profession, experience, education, avocations, and professional and personal accomplishments. With the matrix completed, prioritize the list of proposed mentors based on your preferred characteristics.
Having identified and prioritized your list of mentors, take the top five and outline your method of contact based on your familiarity with them and ease of communications.
Depending on the impact you wish to have and/or make, send an email or handwritten note to each outlining your desire for mentorship. State what you hope to learn about yourself based on your potential mentor’s background, experience and accomplishments.
Also assess what value you can provide to a mentor in return for her or his time. Could your network be helpful? Is there some experience you have had that could be of use to a potential mentor? Give it some deep thought and make a list of the value proposition so that you are prepared ahead of time.
Follow up with your potential mentors by phone or email suggesting a time and place to meet. Getting together at a coffee shop is likely a good path to least resistance as it may imply a short “information” meeting. Make it easy to say yes by choosing a venue near the mentor’s place of business. Offer to buy coffee or lunch if your budget is appropriate.
Depending on your response rate you may need to
work your way down your prioritized list of mentors. More than likely you will receive warm
responses to your outreach. The rest is
up to you.
Make a list of questions in advance of knowledge you wish to learn and commit to memory so you are prepared for anything during your meeting.
Let nature take its course. Also before parting company, inquire about frequency and method of communications. Do what is convenient for your mentor.
Follow up the meeting with a thank you note, by email or other medium. A handwritten note has a lasting benefit.
Prior to your meeting, search Google for
information about your potential mentor and/or look them up on LinkedIn and
Facebook. Make sure you bring yourself
up to speed about the person and their career path, interests and
passions.
Make a list of questions in advance of knowledge you wish to learn and commit to memory so you are prepared for anything during your meeting.
Let nature take its course. Also before parting company, inquire about frequency and method of communications. Do what is convenient for your mentor.
Follow up the meeting with a thank you note, by email or other medium. A handwritten note has a lasting benefit.
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