How to Find a Mentor

There are many reasons why you’d look for additional support or guidance. Maybe starting your own business, climbing the career ladder or pursuing any goal that would be made easier by engaging with someone who’s successfully walked that path before.

A mentor is described as an experienced and trusted adviser, and typically their advice is free. What’s in it for them? Many mentors cite the satisfaction they get from making a long lasting impact in someone else’s life.

Getting started, by asking two important questions.

·         What are you trying to achieve?

·         What skills/experience are you lacking in?

After you’ve defined what you’re looking for, finding the right mentor can take time, try out these routes.

Research the influencers or experts in the field Bloggers, Lecturers, You Tube channels, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook are all good sources to find out who’s top in their field.

Use your network Inform your friends and family the kind of experience you’re looking for. Post on Facebook or send out a tweet, you never know who knows who.

Look closer to home A mentor doesn’t have to be on the Forbes 100 list, check out your community, the Church, Mosque or interest groups have a diversity of people with experience once you begin to look.

Online mentoring programs They aim to match your needs to their database or allow you to search through their listed mentors. These are often focused on specific groups such as entrepreneurs, women or young people.

Find a mentor at work Many companies offer a formal mentoring program, and if they don’t there’s nothing stopping you from approaching a senior member of staff you respect. Ensure they are distant enough from your Role/Dept/Line manager, to avoid cross interests.

Now you’ve found someone interesting, how to approach them? Initiate depending on how you found them. For someone a little distant, send an email followed with an invitation to talk on the phone. Give the mentor time to get their head around your request if this is something that’s new to them.

Outline your interest and what’s attracted you to them. Clarify what it is you want in the relationship and be explicit on frequency and duration so they know what they are committing to. Introduce yourself properly, send a resume, business concept or any background info that you can use to build a view of who you are and where you want to go.

Most importantly clarify some simple guidelines at the start of the relationship.

Agree the Format: Set expectations on what form the help comes in, is it a face to face? Phone calls? Email? Or even shadowing?

Set an Agenda: Give them the heads up well before so they can prepare for your catch up, and come with the relevant material.

Timing & Frequency: How often and for how long, be realistic. 1 - 2hrs a month maximum is a good starting point. Also decide how much, if any communication can happen in between catch ups.

Confidentiality: You can get your mentor to sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to formalise, but otherwise be clear about the confidential nature of the information being discussed.

After finding your mentor, agreeing timelines, agenda and format, watch out for the following common missteps:

·         Don’t monopolise your mentor's time, stick to the agreed slots. Don’t assume weekly emails and phone calls are okay.

·         It’s their advice, it isn’t law! You don’t have to act on their suggestions. Don’t feel the pressure and equally if you do act on their advice and it doesn’t work out, avoid blame, it was ultimately your choice.

·         Similarly try not to put them on a pedestal, trust your own instincts and value your experiences. You have something to add to the mix and they too can learn from you.

·         Remember to review how it’s going time to time, feedback will only strengthen the relationship and gain more value over time.

Mentoring is an enriching experience for both parties, for the mentor an opportunity to stay relevant and continue to add value in their field and for a mentee it can make the impossible feel possible and the journey a little less lonely.

Source: shortlistnigeria.com