Guru Guide - To Catch (and Keep) a Mentor
Getting a mentor isn't
only a smart way to learn, it can be a fast track to knowledge and experience
in just about any endeavor you can imagine. With a great mentor, doors
otherwise locked to you can swing wide open and shorten your path to success by
many years.
If you're looking for a mentor, here are some things to remember:
Deciding if you need a mentor is mainly a matter of knowing what you want to achieve most and the general direction you'd like to take. Stay open-minded if your mentor recommends another direction, but your objective should be the main goal. Consider carefully what you want the mentor to provide and how often you'd like to meet.
Make a list of potential mentors, follow them on Twitter or other social media and notice any potential personality conflicts. Aim as high up the ladder as you can-even someone you think is out of reach, too rich, or too famous may have an opening for an assistant. Use LinkedIn and Google to find candidates.
Write a letter of introduction and sign it by hand. Don't introduce yourself by email. If you want to make absolutely sure your message gets to your prospective mentor send it FedEx Overnight.
If you get a YES then arrange to meet as soon as it's convenient. And if the first meeting goes well, arrange for next steps.
Watch out for unintentional bad advice that can stall your progress. A recent Harvard Business Review article shares the most common ways a mentor's advice can go wrong, including:
If you're looking for a mentor, here are some things to remember:
Deciding if you need a mentor is mainly a matter of knowing what you want to achieve most and the general direction you'd like to take. Stay open-minded if your mentor recommends another direction, but your objective should be the main goal. Consider carefully what you want the mentor to provide and how often you'd like to meet.
Make a list of potential mentors, follow them on Twitter or other social media and notice any potential personality conflicts. Aim as high up the ladder as you can-even someone you think is out of reach, too rich, or too famous may have an opening for an assistant. Use LinkedIn and Google to find candidates.
Write a letter of introduction and sign it by hand. Don't introduce yourself by email. If you want to make absolutely sure your message gets to your prospective mentor send it FedEx Overnight.
If you get a YES then arrange to meet as soon as it's convenient. And if the first meeting goes well, arrange for next steps.
Watch out for unintentional bad advice that can stall your progress. A recent Harvard Business Review article shares the most common ways a mentor's advice can go wrong, including:
- Reacting unfavorably if you take a side-path the mentor
has not taken.
- Choices you make that affect your mentor negatively in
a material way, say financially, that could alter otherwise sound advice.
- Taking advice from someone with dissimilar tolerances
for risk than you.
- Knowing more than your mentor about certain things-take
it into account before accepting advice wholesale.
Try to add value to your
mentor making the relationship
mutually beneficial. When you "arrive" don't forget to show
appreciation to the people who helped you along the way.
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