Whether you've found the right job and have a thriving career or have founded your startup and is getting the right exposure, having the best mentors to provide support and guidance can make a big difference in accelerating personal and professional growth.
Most successful people, regardless of their fields, have had a mentor of some sort.
The best mentors are willing to share their knowledge to help others succeed whether they will benefit from it or not. Others mentor their protege, some mentor prodigies and others mentor for the sake mentoring. They want to give back by sharing their expertise gathered from years of experience.
Kris Duggan, CEO of BetterWorks, credits his success to the help of his mentors and offers these 3 steps to finding the best mentor:
1. Find someone passionate about your field
Kris said that if there's something more important that convincing a mentor to you on, that will be finding the right mentor.
The right mentor doesn't have to be in the same field or profession as you but they have to have accomplished the things you wish to do, say be a powerful CEO under 40 or build your own business. The right mentor has to be someone a mentee can emulate.
2. Grab their attention
The best mentor is busy doing what you wish to be doing in the near future. He can be busy with another project or mentoring others this is why catching their attention and making a strong impression is important.
When reaching out to them, go the extra mile and try something different. Invite them for lunch not to pick their brains but really just to have lunch. You can shoot a video instead of a typical meeting to tell them about you and the project you need their help with. Show them that you are committed to the goals you want to achieve and invested to do whatever it takes. Be someone worth their time.
3. Set clear goals
This shows your commitment and defines expectations. Schedule regular meetings with your mentor and keep him posted with your progress.
Seek your mentor's advice and be open to his ideas and suggestions. Ask him questions. When he offers advice show appreciation but if it's something you don't quite agree with, let him know.
Be authentic and enthusiastic so your mentor will enjoy working with you.
