How to Establish Trust Through Workplace Mentoring
August 19, 2022
MENTORING
Why Mentoring Programs Fail
October 19, 2022
How to Establish Trust Through Workplace Mentoring
August 19, 2022
MENTORING
Why Mentoring Programs Fail
October 19, 2022

Mentoring is a great idea, but it is not the best idea. Mentoring can be beneficial in many areas, but it will never replace advice from your network. If you want to learn new skills or habits, you need to find a mentor with experience. The best way to find someone is through an online personal network like LinkedIn, which should have lots of people who are experts on the topics you want advice for.

How to Find a Great Mentor

1. Find People in Your Network

A network’s entire point is finding opportunities for growth and connection. The quickest way to find people to mentor you is to search for them on LinkedIn or Google+. If you don’t know who they are, the best way is probably to send an email introducing yourself and asking if they know of anyone who could mentor you. Most people will respond within the first week of becoming a member at this level, so ensure your email subject line is appropriate.

2. Find People to Hang Out with

If you want to be a DJ, find someone who DJs. If you want to learn how to golf, hang out with people who golf. Find People Who Want to Teach You How To do Things You Don’t Do Well Yet
The best type of people to mentor you are the ones that are interested in mentoring you. When looking for mentors and teachers, ask about their passions and what they love doing most in life. Once you know what those things are, it’s easier for them to give advice.

3. The Mentee Must Be Willing to Learn

In a good mentoring relationship, two people are willing to learn how to do something that the other one already knows how to do. The best way for this to happen is to be open-minded and eager to learn new things. Don’t act like you’re better than your mentor because you probably aren’t. If they know more, they know more, and that’s all there is to it.

4. There Must Be a Mutual Relationship Interest

If you have a mentor, there needs to be this mutual relationship interest where they value learning from the other person. For that to happen, each party needs to accept that everyone is different and has different knowledge levels. Teachers can’t teach if they don’t want to; first, ensure their students want to learn.

5. Be Willing to Not Have All the Answers

Mentors or teachers can’t give specific steps on how an idea should be done. It is something else that makes good mentors great. They provide general ideas of how to do things and then help the student come up with their solutions for the exact details.

Learning new things is great, but make sure you know what you’re getting into. Check out your options and see if a mentor in your network would be a good fit for you or if you should look for a different teacher. If you want to learn new skills, ask about their passions, and find them on LinkedIn or Google+. After that, all there is left to do is show that you’re willing to learn from them. Please don’t act like you know everything or treat them like they’re less than you—it makes it easier for both parties.