Finding A Mentor Might Be The Best Thing You Do This Year

Finding a mentor might sound like the ultimate cliché but it's a cliché for a reason.

Having a mentor in my life has done me a great deal of good. It can help you to:

• Take informed decisions in your career

• Bounce ideas off them and get unfiltered feedback

• Just have someone who's objective, yet says the right things at the right time.

Unfortunately, many refrain from doing so for many reasons:

Bad experience, not sure who'd be a great fit, fear of reaching out are a few.

In order to change that, here are 3 things that might help you out:

1. Focus On Building Relationships

Your relationship with the person defines how good the mentorship can be.

It's good to identify high performing people and potential mentors. However, this will backfire if you don't gel with the person. So, the key thing is to build relationships with people irrespective of mentorship.

Once the right person comes along, it'll be evident that this is the mentor you're looking for.

2. Establish A Two Way Street

A two way street with your mentor builds a sustainable relationship.

My mentor does ask for inputs from me. Mentors also seek to learn from the people they mentor. This aids confidence and growth much more than a one sided 'lecture'.

Mentoring isn't about giving advice. It's about walking alongside the person and letting them know what they're capable of.

3. Offer Help To Those Who Need It

In offering mentorship to those who seek it, you end up developing yourself in the process.

Building on #2, a two way street helps you learn and help others learn. It’s better to be an open door than a closed window.

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” ― Phil Collins