Mentoring – the secret to success?

Many Successful Careers Involve a Mentor

Mentoring is definitely not reserved for the senior and well-connected professional. All you need is a vision of where you think you want to be in your career, the drive to get there, and the confidence to seek counsel from role models who inspire you. This could take the shape of former or current colleagues, or from your other social and professional circles.

Telling someone how they have inspired you, and politely asking if they could spare some time for you to pick their brains is a request most people will accept. As you articulate where you feel they could benefit your career progression you are asking for them to go out of their way to help you.

Therefore, it is imperative that there is a real commitment from you to test yourself, and a gratitude and respect to establish and evolve successfully in this relationship. Of course this means being punctual and well prepared. An example would be coming to meetings knowing what the challenges you are facing are, what it is you want to learn from your Mentor, and how you think they could help you.

Moreover, it is crucial to share your progress as you go through the process. This keeps you accountable, and also allows you to relay positive feedback on how their advice helped achieve your progression.

Chosen career mentors must be someone you trust, so you can “safely” debate with them any obstacles that are standing in your way. There are situations that might be gender, race or disability specific that means diverse role models can make a big difference in enabling under-represented groups to access the same opportunities.

So, ask yourself: who in your life has overcome the obstacles that you are now facing?

Or ask yourself: from my network, who is the best at the skill you want to develop?