Mentors are really another form of adviser /coach providing advice and guidance to help your career or grow your business.
There are informal and formal mentorships.
Informal mentorship tends to be easier to come by than formal mentorship. This is mostly because the people who we can ask for informal mentorship often already exist in our lives. They might be a parent, sibling, friend, or former work colleague…really anyone who you might want to call up whenever you have a situation in your life that you could use some guidance around. So, no set schedule, casual discussions and guidance, no formal preparation or reporting on progress and probably no written goal setting.
With formal mentorship the primary goal is to learn in a structured manner from other’s experiences and expertise and share your own. As you move up the spectrum into formal mentorship, you start to see things like:
- Set meeting dates.
- Meeting agendas.
- Pre-meeting preparation.
- Written goal setting.
- Regular reporting back on goal progress.
But with a formal mentorship you’re going to have to work with them and it helps if you actually like each other so don’t just leave finding one to chance: –
- Be specific about what you want help with
- Create a criteria list and identify people that match up – start with five or six.
- Use social media such as LinkedIn to identify likely advisors.
- Once you’ve identified them, do some research on them, get to know their career paths, their interests, any successes they’ve written about. When you do meet, they’ll realise you’re serious.
- Reach out to potential advisers via email or LinkedIn – by far the easiest methods. Do they attend local networking events, a future conference / exhibition.
- Don’t wite pages – many successful people don’t have the inclination to wade through five paragraphs of text form an unknown source.
- Don’t give up if you don’t get reply – follow up politely.
Once you’ve secured your mentor / adviser / coach be a good pupil – make it as easy as possible for them to help you:
- Be flexible to their schedules.
- Be on time.
- Have a list of issue you wish to address at any meeting.
- Prompt replies to emails and texts.
- Keep to any targets / projects / challenges set by your mentor.
Networking is an excellent way to identify mentors – its about linking with others for the stated purpose of assisting your or your business in accomplishing a specific goal.
The faster you and your networking partner (target) learn what you need to know about each other, the faster you’ll establish a valuable relationship. A good networker has two ears and one mouth and should use them both proportionately. Listen to people’s needs and concerns and find opportunities to help them. Rushing round the room dishing out business cards won’t work ( no, seriously I’ve watched it happen, one business card was torn up in front of the person dishing them out – soul destroying)
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How to find Networking Groups
- Research likeminded groups on Google or Eventbrite
- Research your professional association.
- Reach out to colleagues and friends, they may be part of groups that might be a good fit.
- Connect with your local Chamber of Commerce.
- And of course, social media – see where everyone else goes.
But when networking remember why you’re there – not just to meet your mates but to find that adviser / mentor / coach. Building relationships through networking opens you up to finding a potential mentor who can help foster success.
Being mentored isn’t only about meeting up with an assigned or chosen mentor, sitting down face-to-face and getting advice for a set period. It’s also about considering all the people in your personal and professional circles you trust and who are willing to offer you meaningful insight and counsel.
As you engage with your mentors, stay involved about the lessons they have to teach you — they will likely come at the most unexpected times. Be intentional about your relationships and clear about the advice and support you’re seeking. Most importantly, be willing to ask for help and stay open to both the positive and constructive feedback you receive.
Finally, as you interact with your mentor, be generous in your appreciation and consider paying it forward by mentoring others.
By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!