Finding a Mentor
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Mentors can be invaluable—offering guidance, inspiration, perspective and motivation. How do you go about getting your own?
Find the right person (or people). Obviously, look for people in your industry who have blazed the very trail you’re traveling. They’re sure to save you from common mistakes. But keep your eyes open for successful people in any field. If you’re drawn to a person in another industry because of her personality, philosophy or approach to business, she certainly can teach you something to apply in your world.
Mentoring relationships take time. However, you may want to have more than one mentor. If you do this, seek out mentors with varied skills, experience, and knowledge.
Get the ball rolling. Once you’ve found the right person, be smart about establishing a relationship with him. Have you met before, online or in person? Will he recognize your name when it lands in his inbox? If so, you might be ready to simply send an email asking if he would consider being your mentor.
But some people may not respond to a cold-call approach. If there are specific people you’ve met, but still don’t know well enough, deliberately build a relationship by being in touch about three times a year with a brief, sincere email. Try complimenting her on a presentation you heard her give, a successful project she just completed, or send a note of gratitude around Thanksgiving. Next time you’re both attending the same conference, invite her to lunch. For certain people, building this relationship first will be key to accepting your invitation to mentorship.
Be prepared to adapt. Even though you may be hoping for some in-depth, one-on-one time with a mentor, keeping her commitment small-ish may be your best bet to a yes. Ask to take her out to lunch a few times a year, or monthly or quarterly. Email mentoring might be the best fit for your mentor. Skype might be a good fit to check in occasionally. Being flexible shows you appreciate whatever your mentor can offer.
Having and keeping a mentor is a long game. Be kind, respectful of his time, show gratitude, and indicate the value that he brings to your career.
She will not and should not solve all your problems. She will not and should not address all of your concerns (you have friends and colleagues for that). Save your big questions, career ambitions, and major pivots for your mentor. She will have insights that will be important to you as you work toward big decisions.
Keep in mind, a mentor should be giving advice to you but you are the ultimate decision maker for yourself, your career, your company, and your life. Keep your power.