4 Tips To Find a Great Mentor

Photo by Monica Melton on Unsplash

If you work in a company or business today, you’ll often hear the phrase “that person needs a mentor” or “who is her mentor?”  Even in small startups and entrepreneurial businesses, I’ve spoken with CEOs who have industry mentors or coaches that help guide their business decisions.  It got me thinking about every person working at companies or their businesses who don’t have a mentor. The first question I asked myself was, “do they need a mentor at all?”  I’ve seen some very successful people that seemed to do it all by themselves.  Then reality strikes, and I realize that even though they don’t say it, every successful person has someone in their corner pushing them and supporting their efforts.  It could be a formal mentor or a role model or a personal hero (dead or alive) that has shown them the pathway to their success.  Whatever the case, I quickly concluded that we all could benefit from a mentor – the trick was finding a great one.

After reflecting on my own experiences and some shared experiences, I wanted to reveal four ways of finding a good mentor.

Know that you want a mentor

As someone who has been asked to mentor quite a few people, I can tell you that one of the biggest challenges is connecting with someone who isn’t sure they want a mentor.  When we have our first discussion, I ask, “Why do you want a mentor?” If the answer is, “I’m not sure” or “my manager said I need one,” I know that it’s either going to be a long conversation or a short one.  It can be long in the sense that we may work through if they need a mentor and what the focus would be. Or it can be short in that I advise them to reach out when they have those answers. Whoever you’re considering as a mentor is likely very busy, so you want to be clear on what you’re asking before taking their time.

Know why you want a mentor

This is similar to the last one but has more to do with the anticipated benefits from mentorship.  Usually, a mentor/mentee relationship is a longer-term commitment.  Before you embark on that journey, you need to be pretty clear about what you need mentorship for.  It could be a capability that you are trying to learn.  For example, maybe you have challenges delegating, and the mentor you selected is good at it.  In this case, the rationale is clear; you can set up measures for what success looks like and when a good time to end the relationship might be based on those milestones.  Without that understanding, the relationship could last too long or short for the desired capability to be learned.  

Ask for referrals

The best people that I’ve found in service are the ones that have been referred to me.  Usually, the more people that refer someone, the better.  It’s like product reviews – if I see only one or two people have reviewed the product, it doesn’t mean the product is bad; it just means that not many people have reviewed it.  If several people have reviewed the product, it doesn’t mean the product is great, but I feel more comfortable that enough people think it is.  Mentors can be similar – they aren’t good or bad if only a few people refer them or many, but the more that do, the better I tend to feel there’s a good chance to build a successful mentor relationship.

Assess fit

It may not seem obvious, but a mentor/mentee pairing is a form of a relationship.  It’s business-related but a relationship nonetheless.  As such, sometimes the connections work, and sometimes they don’t.  If I’m a visual learner and my mentor is not, it may be a challenge for them to effectively communicate with me, even if they have the knowledge that I am seeking.  In short, even the most qualified mentors may not be best for you and your situation.  One of the best things you can do early on is to ask questions to determine if this will be a good pairing.  If you realize that it’s not, be sure to thank the person for his / her time and move toward finding a better fit for you.  In the end, you’ll be saving both of your wasted time and effort.

Summary

A great mentor can be invaluable.  They can provide you with insights that can decrease your learning curve or change your overall career direction.  But it’s fair to say that finding the right mentor can be difficult and even require a bit of trial and error.  Before you begin the process, ensure you know that you want a mentor and why.  Doing these things will make for a better experience and hopefully take your career insights to the next level.

Good luck!

Coach Ha-Keem

You’re Worth It!

For more tips, check out my book, “You’re Worth It! Navigating Your Career in Corporate America,” or go to my website, CoachHa-Keem.com.