How To Find The Right Mentor : 6 Important Steps

One of the best ways to master your craft is to learn from someone who has already excelled at it. Whether your desired skill is at work, at home or even just hobby you would like to learn, a mentor or life coach can help you excel in your domain much quicker than you may be able to on your own. With that being said, how do you get started on finding the right mentor? Let’s take a look at some important steps. 

A mentor can serve many roles in your life, but in a professional sense it can be defined as someone who helps guide a pupil with less experience achieve their personal/professional goals. [1] While much of the focus is placed on the mentee, the relationship should be mutually beneficial for the mentor as well. In other words, both parties should benefit from the growth and skills that are shared throughout the process. 

A recent Forbes study found that while 76% of people felt they would benefit from a mentor/mentee relationship, only 37% of people will actually take the necessary steps to formalize that relationship. [2] As you can see, there is a great demand for this kind of service, but many are often hesitant to reach out. With some of the information provided here, some of that hesitation may be alleviated. 

Where To Find The Right Mentor? 

Finding the right mentor very much depends on the skill that you are trying to build. If you are looking to rise up the corporate ranks, you may want to communicate your desires to your colleagues/superiors and see if they would be interested in a mentor/mentee relationship. If you are looking to excel in a new hobby or in your personal life, you may want to seek out experts in the field and contact them about your desires. 

Wherever it is that you seek a mentor, the most important part is to find someone who is both willing and interested in sharing their experiences with you. Someone who may have a lower rank in the company may be a better mentor than the CEO because they have more time to share with you. In this case, it is important to define your goals beforehand and seek a mentor accordingly. 

Separate to all that, there are professional services who provide mentors and/or life coaches who specialize in motivation. If you are not looking for someone or something in particular, these would be a great generalized option as a first step into the mentor/mentee world. 

While there are many steps and the journey would be personalized to your goals, here are 6 useful steps to get started on finding the right mentor: [3] 

1) Clearly Set Your Goals

Naturally, the 1st step to finding the right mentor is to clearly state what it is that you’re looking for. Not only will this help you get focused and more prepared for the following steps, but it will also give your future mentor something to build off. 

Your goals could range from something as vague as growing your skills to something as specific as getting a promotion within a certain timeframe. Feel free to aim for the sky with your goals!

2) Identify a Potential Mentor

As mentioned above, there are plenty of place you can seek inspiration when trying to identify a mentor. At some point though, you will need to narrow down the list to one or a few potential targets. Who exactly you target will depend largely on the goals you set, but it’s good to have a few in mind in case your preferred options are unavailable.

3) Prepare A Pitch

Now that you’ve identified a potential mentor, the next step would be to actually approach them. While some may feel comfortable enough to approach them on a whim, it’s often useful to organize your thoughts into a concise pitch. This can come through direct conversation, email or phone call, whichever is more comfortable for you, but should be straight to the point and clearly outline your goals and why you think they would be a good candidate as a mentor. 

While some mentors may take charge, it’s important to remember that you sought them out and therefore shouldn’t be shy about following up. Many mentor relationships never get off the ground because the mentee is either too shy or too nervous to keep in touch. The only way to grow the relationship is by continuously reaching out. 

5) Establish a Schedule

Now that you have your mentor, your goals may be modified depending on their expertise and/or capabilities. With this new information, you can set up a regular schedule with your mentor to ensure that you keep in touch, and set milestones along your journey. 

6) Challenge Yourself 

An important part of every mentor/mentee relationship is growth — if you only stick with your initial goals and ultimately meet them, then there will be no more growth. 

Don’t be afraid to set new goals for yourself, or even take on a new mentor with a different skillset. You may even be able to introduce your old mentor to your new one, and start the foundations of a network. At this point, you may even be providing value to your mentor, thus continuing the circle of growth we all seek. 

Conclusion

A mentor/mentee relationship can be the cornerstone of any successful step in your life. With that being said, the wrong relationship can also set you back. We suggest doing your own research and being careful about promotions that seem too good to be true. With all the information above, you should be well placed to find a relationship to help achieve your goals! 

 

References 

1) “How to Find a Mentor”. Business News Daily. Retrieved August 25, 2021 from : https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6248-how-to-find-mentor.html 

2) “76% Of People Think Mentors Are Important, But Only 37% Have One”, Forbes. Retrieved August 25, 2021 from : https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2019/07/03/new-study-76-of-people-think-mentors-are-important-but-only-37-have-one/?sh=256ff08c4329 

3) “How to Find (and Keep) a Mentor in 10 Not-So-Easy Steps”. Goins Writer. Retrieved August 25, 2021 from: https://goinswriter.com/find-mentor/