January is National Mentoring Month, so it is a good time to look at the top five reasons to have a mentor, regardless of your job position.
But first, it is important to know several key points about having a mentor.
- No matter where you are in your career path, you do not have to go it alone. There are always people who are willing to share their advice and help you along the way.
- It is a two-way street. While you are gaining valuable information, advice, and guidance, it is important for you to offer your mentor something in return. This could be additional contacts with people in your network and/or new perspectives from someone younger.
- Pay it forward. If you have benefitted from shared experiences and good advice, you need to be willing to do the same for others who are younger in their careers than you are.
Now, the top five list:
- Information and knowledge: Let us face it, no matter how much we know, we cannot know everything. A mentor is a great person for when you have questions or need advice. They have “been there, done that” and can share with you a different perspective, especially when you are too close to a problem or situation to see it as clearly as you need to.
- Tough love: Mentors should be able to talk to you openly and honestly about any areas where you need to improve. They can assist you in keeping your stated goals, helping you to recognize when you are getting off-track. They can help you develop your soft skills, like communication and networking, while challenging you to recognize new opportunities and take calculated risks. But they are not going to coddle you. Their goal is to see you be the best you can be; they are not there to give you a participation trophy.
- Stimulate Growth: Mentors can help you grow, both individually and professionally. Many times, they will question or challenge you while helping you learn to evaluate options and ideas. Think of them as a career coach, cheering you on and helping you to be better and step outside your comfort zone.
- Encouragement: More than anything, mentors should encourage you. They can help you see setbacks as opportunities, while inspiring you to continue on. Oprah Winfrey says it best: "A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself."
- Sounding Board: There will come times when you just need to vent. Mentors are trusted advisors who can listen to you when no one else can, and then provide candid and honest feedback for moving forward. They can also give you the benefit of their experience and help you to not make the same mistakes they did.
If you do not have a mentor, now is the time to find one. Have a good idea of where you want your career to go so you can find someone who has held that, or similar positions. Consider former bosses, co-workers, or professors or teachers you have had. You are looking for someone who can give you long-term advice, can be a neutral sounding board, and is someone you can connect with. Mentoring is a relationship, and it develops best over time.
Steve Robertson, CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs, has the best advice for finding a mentor: “Look for people who inspire you, regardless of their age or socioeconomic status. And do not limit yourself to just one mentor throughout your career. You will find that potential mentors are all around you.”
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