5 Surprisingly Effective Ways to Find the Right Mentor
This is a quote by Richard Benson, that’s important for anyone who’s looking for a mentor to internalize. It says, “A great match for one person may be a bad match for another.”
Don’t look at another person’s mentoring relationship and think… oh, if only I had that person as a mentor or if my mentor was like that. Here are some considerations to think about as you look for a great mentor.
First, start with YOUR needs. Try answering the following questions;
1. What is it exactly that you’re looking for?
2. Does it have to do with progress in your career?
3. Does it have to do with progress in your own company or in the industry in general?
4. What are the things that you’re hoping to get out of that relationship?
5. Do they have the time or interest to volunteer as your mentor?
These are five considerations to think about as you look for a mentor that will be right for you.
Identifying your needs will help ensure that you find the right mentor to help you meet those needs. You should find a mentor who has done what you want to do. They have already gone down that path, they know what it looks like… and they can help you navigate that path because they’ve been down the path.
Developing chemistry between you and the mentor is critical. If you feel like there’s something missing in the interpersonal relationship before they’re your mentor… you might ask yourself whether you think that can change or not. If the chemistry will never be there, it might not be a good match.
In addition to chemistry, personalities are really important. Some people are very abrupt with their feedback and they can come across as offensive. They’re not necessarily trying to offend you, they’re just trying to be very honest.
I’m not suggesting that there’s going to be a right or a wrong personality match for you, but if you do feel like there’s tension in the relationship, you might want to study up on personalities to see what the difference is between their personality, and your personality, and how to work together and communicate better.
Of course, when you think you’ve found the right mentor, you need to make sure that they’re actually in a place in their career where they can, and they’re willing, to help you.
So now, where can you find someone to be your mentor? Start off with who you know. Who is in your network that you think would be a great mentor for you?
As you brainstorm names to be your mentor, what I don’t want you to do is disqualify people, assuming that they wouldn’t be your mentor. Write everybody down on a list without already deciding whether they want to do it or not.
Once we have a list, we can prioritize the list and work down that list, but don’t automatically cross people off. In addition to who you know, people in your first-degree network, think about people that you could get an introduction to, or who are people that your first-degree contacts might know.
Obviously, you can use LinkedIn to dig deeper into your network, including your first-degree contacts and beyond. Don’t discount other social networks like Facebook or Twitter.
Typically people don’t go onto Facebook or Twitter because they want to be a mentor or even have a professional relationship with you, but if you have connections on Facebook or Twitter or other social networks, those might be people who can be a mentor or introduce you to someone who could be your mentor.
Also, ask your colleagues and the people you work with. You might ask questions like;
· Who do you admire in our company?
· Who do you think has had a great career?
· Who has helped you in your career?
These are three questions that you can ask your colleagues to get some great ideas for who the right mentor might be for you.
