Do You have a Mentor?

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When was the last time someone sat you down and gave you the ‘straight scoop’ on what you’re doing professionally and where you’re heading? If it wasn’t in the last month or so and it didn’t come from your mentor, then it’s time to wonder. Do you have a mentor in your life that can have those frank and candid conversations with you? Do you have someone whose judgment you trust, who you share important things with, and who has your best interests at heart?

It isn’t your boss, that’s a totally different relationship. Hopefully your relationship with your boss is supportive, but he/she needs to come from the perspective of what’s best for the organization and you. While those two things are often aligned, that’s not always the case. Your mentor should be thinking of what’s best for you (even if that doesn’t always match up with your current organization).

I’ve been blessed with some great mentors during my career. Even during those times when I thought I had it “all figured out”, I’d find that a fresh perspective from outside the situation would give me some great insights. I’ve also found it interesting that I’ve been involved in what I call “serial mentoring”. That is, at different times in my career I’ve had different mentors. While I keep in touch with all the mentors I’ve had, in some cases, they aren’t as in tune with my current situation. I’ve gotten tremendous insights from each and value having developed those relationships.
I’ve also been privileged to mentor some amazing people and being on the other side of the equation, see the value of being a mentor. From that perspective I can say that you should never be shy about asking someone if they will mentor you. You’re giving them a compliment that you trust their judgment and I suspect they’ll be happy to oblige. It’s a fulfilling role and one that they’ll benefit from as well.

But it’s not a step to take lightly. If you’re going to make a mentoring relationship work, you have to invest time and effort into it. You need to be willing to share “the good, the bad, and the ugly”, or they’ll just get a glossed over view of your world and not be able to help. If you’re willing to be honest, to invest a great deal of trust and candor, and then listen with an open mind to your mentor, you can get some great outside perspectives.

While a mentor will be able to help with the big decisions (“should I take this promotion”, “should I listen to the job offer”, etc.), they will be just as helpful with navigating more common issues. “How do I handle this situation with a peer or direct report?” “What’s the best way to approach my boss about the increasing workload or the fact that I think I’ve earned a raise”.

A well connected mentor can also help with introductions in your industry. You can never have too big a network and with a respected mentor you can grow your professional network.

There are many reasons to cultivate a mentor relationship. You just have to decide if it’s important enough for your development for you to take the leap!