Finding a mentor
Get objective advice and see results
We all need advice, encouragement and a sounding board from time to time. Leaning on family and friends can help, but it can be difficult for loved ones to give you objective advice.
That’s why you need a mentor. Or mentors. Basically, any area of your life in which you need guidance or accountability, there’s a mentor for that.
1 Finding a mentor Approaching someone and asking “Will you be my mentor?” feels a little awkward. But mentorship doesn’t need to be that formal.
Find someone you connect with and start having deeper conversations. Ask for their perspective and use them as a sounding board. That person may be two decades your senior, or they may be close to your age.
There are situations where a structured, formal mentorship is the way to go. If you’re trying to start a business, for example, you need someone who sees your vision and has the expertise to help you execute it. You can sometimes find a mentor through organizations like Score, a national volunteer organization that offers free business mentorship.
A mentorship is a relationship, and even the easiest relationships require time, energy and focus. You also need to be open and vulnerable.
2 Don’t hold back Confessing your fears and doubts won’t happen on day one, meeting one. But as the mentorship grows, try to open up.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing so after a few sessions, consider finding a different mentor, says Jennifer Jones, founder of Cosmopolitan Plated, a culinary company in Arlington, Virginia.
3 Do the work This isn’t a college class where you can skim the assignment five minutes beforehand and wing it during the class discussion. To get the most out of your mentorship, take notes during meetings, prepare questions in advance and, most importantly, work on the things you say you will.
“Here’s the catch: If you’re not working on them, they don’t mean anything to you,” Jones says. “If they don’t mean anything to you, either you’re in the wrong mentor/ mentee relationship or you are not ready.”
4 Close the loop Find ways to show your appreciation and build the relationship. This step can be as simple as telling your mentor how you put their advice into action.
This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Want to suggest a personal finance topic that Quick Fix can address? Email apmoney@ap.org.