Have you ever had a mentor?
Someone who gave you important wisdom?
It’s not easy finding someone that really works out for you and provides that priceless insight when you need it most.
Like any other relationship, it is easy to go wrong in selecting the mentor, but don’t feel bad, it’s a trial-and-error process.
Here are some aspects that make for a good fit mentor:
1. Integrity and confidentiality — if you can’t trust them with your words and thoughts, how can you trust them to give career advice?
2. Not a good fit for your goals or style — They might be a wonderful person, but if they don’t sync with your goals, or even your style of communication, it can be hard to derive value from the interaction.
3. They ‘get’ you — One of the most rewarding aspects of a good mentoring experience is that the mentor understands some aspect of you that makes you see yourself — accurately — in a whole new light. It might not be positive (we need to know our shortcomings too!) but it might be needed to break misconceptions we’ve been carrying around.
4. Availability — No surprises, it’s hard to have a mentor relationship if you can’t be in touch with them time-to-time.
5. Mutual benefit — Ultimately, the best mentorships are those that have something of value for both parties, which makes the interaction rewarding and worth continuing.
You might not find all you need in one person, so it’s ok to learn from more than one mentor.
Hopefully, though, each one helps you learn something about yourself and with a little expression of gratitude from you, feels like they ‘paid it forward’, thus completing the circle of life.