The value of having a mentor is undeniable.
Mentors help with career and personal development in the long-term, and act as role models who have been there and done that.
A recent Harvard Business Review Article ‘CEOS need Mentors Too’ points out junior to mid-level employees who have undergone mentoring advance more quickly, earn higher salaries, and gain more satisfaction in their jobs than those who have no mentors. Source
Good mentors are not only knowledgeable, but they’re also enthusiastic about what they specialize in. Mentors nurture relationships and encourage mentees to develop their understanding and critical thinking on the job.
Finding a mentor may be challenging, but it can be very rewarding for your career and your life in the long run.
When recognizing potential mentors, look for people that you want to be like, that are great role models. It’s their role model behaviors that can help you embrace a challenge, complete a task, or manage your work/life balance. Source
Once you’ve selected who you’d like to have as your mentor, sit them down and ask them directly if it’s a role that they are interested in. Having open communication about your relationship, what it entails and what you will rely on them for will help you both get the most out of it.
Feeling nervous about having that talk? Perhaps you can avoid it. Bill Dempsey, VP of Global Procurement at Shire Pharmaceuticals suggests inviting them out to coffee first, just to get to know each other.
“If it is someone who is influential, see if they will meet you for a coffee or lunch and spend half an hour talking about career development and then see if you connect. If you just don't connect at the end of the half an hour, it's easy to say ‘I really appreciate it’ and you can walk away.
To me, to ‘connect’ means you have some mutual interests and the conversation flows pretty easily. Maybe it is a similar ‘outside of work’ activity or passion for your area. You sort of know when you have it.”
Wondering what a professional mentor-mentee relationship might look like? Here’s a great list of 20 things to do with your career mentor to get the most out of your relationship.