PROFESSIONAL MENTORS

Executives “at the top” of your industry didn’t get there on their own; they had a whole network of people who advised, guided and supported them on their journey to success. More than likely, these top performers had a professional mentor.

BENEFITS OF MENTORSHIP

Mentors offer a range of benefits that can make it infinitely easier for you to succeed in your chosen profession.

• Knowledge and contacts: A professional mentor offers knowledge of the industry (if he or she works within your field), and plenty of interesting — and often influential — contacts.

• Skill and insight: You can learn many useful skills from having a professional mentor, including appropriate behavior, protocols and best business practices.

• Perspective: A good mentor will point out your blind spots and provide a new and useful perspective on a situation. Remember, your mentor

offers not only an outside opinion but also a wider experience from which to draw.

• Support and solidarity: Success can be a lonely endeavor — but it doesn’t have to be. A professional mentor provides emotional support and a sense of “peer partnership.”

FINDING A MENTOR

While there are services available to match you with a mentor, you can always find one yourself. There is the possibility that someone will approach you. But if no one has, think of the type of person you would like to approach. Who do you admire? Who does what you want to be doing? Don’t be afraid to look outside of your industry for a mentor. You are looking for someone who cares about passing along wisdom learned along the way — someone who wants you to have an easier path to success than he or she did.

CULTIVATING A RELATIONSHIP

The key to a successful mentorship is cultivating and maintaining a healthy relationship with your mentor. Be sure that both parties clearly communicate their expectations of the relationship, such as how often you plan to check in or meet in person to discuss current projects, what your future goals are, and other topics of professional development. It is important to remember not to get too focused on your own path to success. A mentorship is a relationship — a respectful connection between two parties in which both can learn from the experience of the other and grow professionally. A successful and effective mentor relationship strengthens your industry as a whole through the sharing of knowledge and the development of leadership qualities.