Most adults can think back on someone who helped guide their journey through life’s twists and turns. Be it by chance or design, these influential figures often appear at just the right moment to guide and advise us through life’s transitions.
Enter mentorship, a relationship that is on the rise, especially with younger generations and students. An article from Forbes states, “the importance of college students developing at least one close mentoring relationship with a faculty member.”
Implementing mentorship initiatives among your employees can result in enhanced performance and an enjoyable work culture. Here are some tips that will assist them in finding and working with suitable advisors.
1. Identify Your Needs
Establishing your needs and seeking out appropriate advisors are the foundation of becoming a successful mentor. A mentor could be anyone from a former boss or teacher, to someone you admire in professional circles or someone from an entirely different job than yourself – anyone who can offer insights into their path to success as well as provide help navigating challenges in your career journey. Having someone act as your guide could also boost confidence which is an integral component of professional growth.
To determine whether someone is an appropriate mentor, meet them over coffee or have a brief phone call and outline your career trajectory, goals and why you think they’d make a good mentor. Be sure to discuss how much time and commitment each will require – any miscommunication may lead to mismatched expectations right from the beginning! If they lack expertise or interest in helping, don’t be intimidated into staying longer if that turns out not to be possible!
As well as finding someone you connect with personally, finding a mentor should also provide constructive feedback on projects, career-related inquiries, or provide advice in difficult situations. Although finding one may be challenging due to social or economic barriers – particularly in fields like STEM where women and people of colour are underrepresented – there are resources online and through formal mentoring programs which make this process simpler for these individuals.
Not everyone needs mentors alone – some may require “sponsors”, or people with significant social capital, who can provide access to opportunities or connect them with people in their field. For example, those seeking careers in medicine might work with an identity-based mentor who can provide networking support as they search for jobs within the medical industry.
2. Identify Your Goals
Mentors and mentees typically set individual or joint goals at the outset of their mentoring relationship, whether individually or jointly. Such goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable and time-bound – goals which align with broader objectives or priorities of mentees such as improving public speaking skills to prepare them for future career opportunities.
Newer employees may benefit from setting short-term learning goals such as completing onboarding or familiarising themselves with company culture, to more
quickly adjust to their new role and ensure its success. On the other hand, mentees could choose long-term career goals like attaining promotion within five years.
3. Identify Your Ideal Mentor
As any new business begins to venture out on its own, or an established one faces new challenges and opportunities, access to timely expert advice is an invaluable asset. Finding reliable mentors could mean the difference between success and failure for any given venture.
Many mentors can be found anywhere, from great-aunts and college friends to golfing buddies and great-aunts. While these individuals can provide useful information, it may be hard for them to provide the strategic and tactical advice that businesses require.
Consider a mentor’s style. Students should first ensure they can work well with their approach before agreeing to work together; an advisor with an aggressive or confrontational style might not be suitable for your needs.
4. Communicate Your Needs
When looking for mentors, you must establish exactly the kind of support you’re after. Mentors should possess specific skills, knowledge, and networks. In addition to offering expert advice, they may also offer emotional support or guidance – for instance, they could assist in navigating difficult situations or provide constructive criticism of your work.
Last but not least, it’s essential that you and your team establish clear criteria of what success means in terms of mentor-mentee relationships. This will enable both of you to measure their impact as well as when it may be time to move on from them. Establish communication channels outside of face-to-face meetings and formalize your mentoring partnership’s goals before devising an evaluation system to measure progress.
5. Ask for Feedback
An essential aspect of mentorship is being able to give and receive feedback. This must become part of your dialogue from day one; regular feedback should help identify areas in which you’re making strides forward as well as where changes need to be made. Carlo Vivaldi of the Rossor Country Club says “Embracing feedback throughout one’s career fosters growth, making an individual more appealing to employers and colleagues alike.” [2]
When seeking feedback, make sure your goals for the conversation are crystal clear. In an ideal situation, have an idea of where you would like to focus ahead of time so that a meeting structure allows you to cover as much ground in as little time as possible. Depending on your goals and mentor’s preference, an agenda could also help ensure they come ready.
Consider also asking for feedback about their experience working with you; this will enable you to assess if they feel that the relationship is providing them with any value while giving valuable insight into how best to support you going forward.
If the mentor you are engaging is not providing the right feedback, it might be prudent to look elsewhere for mentoring opportunities. Burning out one mentor may prevent an effective long-term and mutually beneficial partnership from developing.
Mentorship can be a tremendously useful asset to both you and those around you. By taking the time to research possible advisors, articulate your needs clearly, and remain open to feedback, you can forge lasting and rewarding relationships that support one another’s professional endeavours.
[1] Nietzel, M. T. (2021). Too Few Undergraduates Have A College Mentor: Three Steps That Can Change That. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2018/12/04/too-few-undergraduates-have-a-college-mentor-three-steps-that-can-change-that/?sh=62d1f3472c90
[2] Moindi, G. C. (2023). From Teller to Titan: The Soft Skills Behind Business Success. Retrieved from https://www.horizonsearch.co/post/from-teller-to-titan