Have you heard that you need a mentor to progress and not sure where to start? Well in this video I will help you find the right mentor and make the most of the relationship

 

Prefer to watch than read? Then check out the video version!

 

Whether you want to achieve more in your career or business, I am sure you have come across the idea of having a mentor. Lots of successful people swear by the mentors that have helped them on their journey. However, knowing you need to get a mentor and then actually have one are very different and I am here to help you choose the right mentor and then make the most of the relationship.

 

1 – Work out why you want a mentor

 

Yes having a mentor is a great idea, but there is no point having one just to have one. To find the right mentor you need to know what help you are specifically looking for. Are you looking for someone in your industry who can help you perform better? Someone who is a step ahead of you to help prepare you for making that next step? Think about what your current needs are.

 

2 – Decide what type of relationship you would like

 

Mentor relationships can vary drastically and part of choosing the right mentor involves knowing what type of relationship you would like. Are you looking for someone you can meet in person? Do you want to be able to talk to them weekly, fortnightly or monthly? Knowing the type of commitment you expect from someone else will enable you to quickly access if a potential mentor is right for you or not.

 

3 – Make a shortlist and start approaching

Now that you have an idea of the type of mentor you would like it is time to start thinking who you could approach. Now there are two ways of getting a mentor: via official schemes or informally.

If you are lucky there might be an official scheme within your company. If not, you should check out official schemes that are running in your area or industry. For example, I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and they run a mentoring scheme so I was in a official mentoring scheme through them. In formal mentoring programmes you might have the opportunity to look through a list of possible mentors or you might have to fill in a form and then the company does the matching for you.

If you can’t find an official mentoring scheme then you will have to check out the informal route. Go back to question 1 or 2 and think of people who would fit your needs both in terms of their expertise and skills, as well as the time commitment you would be asking for. Once you have your shortlist you can start approaching people.

 

One extra tip

If you are going  down the informal route is don’t stress about making it too formal and putting a label on it. One of the best mentors I have ever had is not an official mentor. We have an informal relationship that involves meeting up a few times a year and I know I can drop her an email if I needed help on something specific. This relationship has actually turned out much more successful than formal schemes I have been in so be open to those informal mentoring relationships too.

 

So that’s my tips on choosing the right mentoring and also making the most of the relationship. Having considered points 1 and 2 I would love to know in the comments below who you would love to mentor you.