Mentor Me – How to Select and Use a Mentor to Enhance Your Career Success
Website design By BotEap.comWho needs a mentor? Aspiring entrepreneurs, successful entrepreneurs, those just starting out, and everyone who wants to be a successful, career-confident woman or man can benefit from having a mentor.
Website design By BotEap.comChances are, we’ve all had a mentoring relationship of some kind. Many of us are mentors to others. In a recent study by CareerWomen.com, 64% of respondents indicated that they have a formal or informal mentor. Successful women often credit a mentor with helping them advance their career.
Website design By BotEap.comI am fortunate to have identified mentors throughout my career who have generously shared with me business contacts, resources, tools, and advice that have enhanced my entrepreneurial and entrepreneurial success. Numerous mentors supported my transition from a 20-year career in a large organization to small business owner.
From the Greek classics to the modern business world: the descriptions of Mentor, a character in Homer’s Odyssey, from which the term mentor derives, give insight into the mentoring relationship. Website design By BotEap.comHomer’s character, Mentor, is a person of deep trust, a wise old man, and an old man who instills knowledge and guides one to find the answers he seeks. In the modern world, a mentor does essentially the same thing. A mentor can provide advice, facilitate networking with key contacts, accelerate progress on the learning curve, help you navigate the culture of the organization, guide decision making, and be a source of feedback and motivation. Perhaps some of the most beneficial functions of a mentor are to empower, inspire, and believe in yourself and your potential for success. Website design By BotEap.comFinding a mentor that’s right for you: The first thing to consider when looking for a mentor is your goals. Define what you are looking for and where you need the support of a mentor. Then watch the success. A good mentor is someone who has been there and done that. This is someone who has the knowledge and insight to deliver value in accordance with your goals. Look at the strengths of your managers, peers, and colleagues in your network. Website design By BotEap.comConsider those who have strengths in the areas you most need to develop. Ask them to be your mentors. If you want to be a part of the formal mentoring program at your organization, don’t wait to get noticed. Ask. Asking for what you want is often one of the most overwhelming things for many mentorworthy people. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up, speaking up, and asking for support as a mentor, then this becomes your number one goal for your work with a mentor or coach. Website design By BotEap.comOther ways to find a mentor is to participate in volunteer and professional organizations both within and outside of your profession organizations. You may even consider a long-distance mentor with whom you can speak regularly on the phone. Website design By BotEap.comTouch different knowledge. You don’t need to limit yourself to one mentor. Have a full “Mentor Advisory Board” if you are lucky enough to find people who are willing and able to serve in that capacity. Website design By BotEap.comFemale or Male Mentor: The selection of a female or male mentor again depends on your goals. Cross-gender mentoring can have many benefits. Men and women often have different strengths. Men can provide guidance in developing the skills to work in a male-dominated field; Men often have good negotiation skills and are usually the majority of the senior leaders in an organization, so they can help you advance your career by facilitating your relationships with other senior leaders. Women’s strengths include dealing with gender bias, building a network of business relationships, managing teams… Website design By BotEap.comBe Mentor-Worthy: Use your mentor’s time productively. Complaining or whining is not a constructive use of your time with your mentor. Here are ten tips for a successful mentoring relationship. Website design By BotEap.com* Know what you want and have clear goals for the relationship.
* Communicate your expectations to your mentor
* Be open, honest and direct with your mentor.
* Establish priority issues for action or support.
* Come prepared to each meeting with topics to discuss.
* Don’t expect your mentor to be an expert in all facets of business.
* Request and use resources and contacts with other members of the organization
* Ask for feedback from your mentor. Don’t take constructive updates personally
* Recognize that feedback from a good mentor is in your best interest.
* To take action. Even when your mentor asks you to get out of your comfort zone. Website design By BotEap.comMentor and be a Mentor: Be a Mentor: Enhance another’s journey by sharing your time, wisdom, knowledge, and experience. Don’t doubt that you have something to offer another in a mentoring relationship, chances are you do. Here are 12 tips to help you be a good mentor. Website design By BotEap.com* Set clear expectations and boundaries for the relationship
* Create a positive constructive atmosphere.
* Allow the learner to choose to accept, reject, or consider the advice.
* Listen and hear both what is being said and what is not being said.
* Identify opportunities and offer guidance for decision making, as well as solutions.
* Use a problem-solving, coaching approach, asking questions and soliciting the trainee’s input.
* Offer honest and direct feedback. Don’t avoid difficult conversations.
* Share stories, including mistakes from personal experience – the “replays” of your career.
* Ask the trainee to do ‘homework’ to enhance growth.
* Serve as a connector for other business colleagues by inviting them to lunches, meetings, etc.
* Be open and ask for feedback from the learner
* Be fully present at mentor meetings. Website design By BotEap.comGetting divorced from your mentor – Mentoring relationships will eventually end. One of the reasons is that the expectations of the mentor or mentee are not met. Other times there are clashes of personalities or styles. Pitfalls around “fit” are not uncommon. It is also possible to outgrow the mentoring relationship. Establishing a mentoring relationship with a ’till death do us part’ attitude is not the best approach. Website design By BotEap.comA good way to avoid a problem when ending a mentoring relationship is to set time limits and expectations at the beginning of the relationship. A three month period of weekly meetings is a good starting point. Either party has the option to request an extension of the relationship at the end of the intended period. It pays to keep going and find new and different mentors. A new mentor can further expand her knowledge, skills, and perspective. You never have too much experience to benefit from the support of a mentor.
From the Greek classics to the modern business world: the descriptions of Mentor, a character in Homer’s Odyssey, from which the term mentor derives, give insight into the mentoring relationship. Website design By BotEap.comHomer’s character, Mentor, is a person of deep trust, a wise old man, and an old man who instills knowledge and guides one to find the answers he seeks. In the modern world, a mentor does essentially the same thing. A mentor can provide advice, facilitate networking with key contacts, accelerate progress on the learning curve, help you navigate the culture of the organization, guide decision making, and be a source of feedback and motivation. Perhaps some of the most beneficial functions of a mentor are to empower, inspire, and believe in yourself and your potential for success. Website design By BotEap.comFinding a mentor that’s right for you: The first thing to consider when looking for a mentor is your goals. Define what you are looking for and where you need the support of a mentor. Then watch the success. A good mentor is someone who has been there and done that. This is someone who has the knowledge and insight to deliver value in accordance with your goals. Look at the strengths of your managers, peers, and colleagues in your network. Website design By BotEap.comConsider those who have strengths in the areas you most need to develop. Ask them to be your mentors. If you want to be a part of the formal mentoring program at your organization, don’t wait to get noticed. Ask. Asking for what you want is often one of the most overwhelming things for many mentorworthy people. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up, speaking up, and asking for support as a mentor, then this becomes your number one goal for your work with a mentor or coach. Website design By BotEap.comOther ways to find a mentor is to participate in volunteer and professional organizations both within and outside of your profession organizations. You may even consider a long-distance mentor with whom you can speak regularly on the phone. Website design By BotEap.comTouch different knowledge. You don’t need to limit yourself to one mentor. Have a full “Mentor Advisory Board” if you are lucky enough to find people who are willing and able to serve in that capacity. Website design By BotEap.comFemale or Male Mentor: The selection of a female or male mentor again depends on your goals. Cross-gender mentoring can have many benefits. Men and women often have different strengths. Men can provide guidance in developing the skills to work in a male-dominated field; Men often have good negotiation skills and are usually the majority of the senior leaders in an organization, so they can help you advance your career by facilitating your relationships with other senior leaders. Women’s strengths include dealing with gender bias, building a network of business relationships, managing teams… Website design By BotEap.comBe Mentor-Worthy: Use your mentor’s time productively. Complaining or whining is not a constructive use of your time with your mentor. Here are ten tips for a successful mentoring relationship. Website design By BotEap.com* Know what you want and have clear goals for the relationship.
* Communicate your expectations to your mentor
* Be open, honest and direct with your mentor.
* Establish priority issues for action or support.
* Come prepared to each meeting with topics to discuss.
* Don’t expect your mentor to be an expert in all facets of business.
* Request and use resources and contacts with other members of the organization
* Ask for feedback from your mentor. Don’t take constructive updates personally
* Recognize that feedback from a good mentor is in your best interest.
* To take action. Even when your mentor asks you to get out of your comfort zone. Website design By BotEap.comMentor and be a Mentor: Be a Mentor: Enhance another’s journey by sharing your time, wisdom, knowledge, and experience. Don’t doubt that you have something to offer another in a mentoring relationship, chances are you do. Here are 12 tips to help you be a good mentor. Website design By BotEap.com* Set clear expectations and boundaries for the relationship
* Create a positive constructive atmosphere.
* Allow the learner to choose to accept, reject, or consider the advice.
* Listen and hear both what is being said and what is not being said.
* Identify opportunities and offer guidance for decision making, as well as solutions.
* Use a problem-solving, coaching approach, asking questions and soliciting the trainee’s input.
* Offer honest and direct feedback. Don’t avoid difficult conversations.
* Share stories, including mistakes from personal experience – the “replays” of your career.
* Ask the trainee to do ‘homework’ to enhance growth.
* Serve as a connector for other business colleagues by inviting them to lunches, meetings, etc.
* Be open and ask for feedback from the learner
* Be fully present at mentor meetings. Website design By BotEap.comGetting divorced from your mentor – Mentoring relationships will eventually end. One of the reasons is that the expectations of the mentor or mentee are not met. Other times there are clashes of personalities or styles. Pitfalls around “fit” are not uncommon. It is also possible to outgrow the mentoring relationship. Establishing a mentoring relationship with a ’till death do us part’ attitude is not the best approach. Website design By BotEap.comA good way to avoid a problem when ending a mentoring relationship is to set time limits and expectations at the beginning of the relationship. A three month period of weekly meetings is a good starting point. Either party has the option to request an extension of the relationship at the end of the intended period. It pays to keep going and find new and different mentors. A new mentor can further expand her knowledge, skills, and perspective. You never have too much experience to benefit from the support of a mentor.