12 Steps to Find a Mentor
It Pays to Have a Helping Hand to Get Ahead
1. Ask yourself what you want in a mentor or sponsor.
2. Check your employer’s human resources department to see if they have a mentoring program.
3. Look outside the office. Mentoring doesn’t have to be a “business” relationship. You can find mentors outside the workplace from associations you belong to, activities you’re involved in, neighbors, and relatives.
4. Do an Advanced People Search on LinkedIn. You might search for someone from your alma mater.
5 Consider a mentor younger than you. 50-plus workers might want to tap someone who may be junior in age, but can offer more experience and guidance when it comes to new fields and areas like technology where they might not be quite as fluent.
6. Practice your “Why Me” speech. This is a sales job. Landing a sponsor calls for self-promotion.
7. Steer clear of the formal request. The “Will you be my mentor?” invitation can be stiff and off-putting. Sounds like way too much work and responsibility. This is an inner endeavor.
8. Show them how to help. If you truly have a pressing need, take the plunge and make a specific request when you want someone to speak up on your behalf.
9. Make it fun. When asking, don’t make it sound like work. Exude a sense of excitement, smile, and laugh a little.
10. Do something for them. Show your gratitude. Make the relationship reciprocal by serving as a source of information and support for your mentor in some way. It’s the proverbial two-way street.
11. Be a mentor. This will give you a better idea of how to work with a mentor yourself. Even if you are at the bottom of your hierarchy at work, you might find mentees through alumni associations or non-profits where you volunteer.
12. Listen. Whether you are the mentor or mentee, you can cultivate the relationship by asking questions and sincerely listening to the answers.
Read the full article at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2011/10/31/how-to-find-a-mentor/
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
Growth for women-owned businesses.
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