Having a Great Mentor Is Essential to Get Success. Here Are Some Things to Keep In Mind When Looking for a Mentor.
Being able to find a good mentor is a privilege. Being able to grow both professionally and personally with help from someone in-the-know who has your back is something that should never be underrated.
That is why we’ve compiled today’s list of 10 Things to Look for in A Mentor.
We hope you absorb this advice and remember it when you’re looking for your next mentor. If you find it useful, we’d value your thumbs up in appreciation. Subscribe to our channel and don’t forget to hit that bell notification so that you’re alerted to all our new releases.
Let’s start looking for your perfect mentor…
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1
The Mentor Really Wants to Mentor
Aluxers, there is nothing shittier than finding a mentor that doesn’t want to be a mentor. Perhaps their company has forced them to do mentoring as part of some big initiative, or they’ve been dragged into it by someone they owe a favour to… These are not mentors, and they will not do your journey to better yourself, any justice.
It doesn’t matter if they work for a big company that everyone knows about, call it quits and rather find someone who really wants to make a difference in the life of someone else.
2
The Mentor Deserves to Be In Their Position
They didn’t know someone who knows someone who knows someone… they actually worked hard, put in the hours, started from the bottom, worked their way up and deserve to be where they are.
Tim Ferris published a book called “Tribe of Mentors, Short Life Advice from the Best in the World,” where he quotes several admirable leaders and mentors. In there he quotes Jocko Willink who once said that a leader needs to… “take ownership of the problems, the mistakes, and the shortfalls, and take ownership of creating and implementing solutions to get those problems solved. Take ownership.”
It’s a great listen, and we’ve got a free download available you on Audible – head to alux.com/freebook.
3
They’re Kind, Honest, and Show Integrity in All Situations
In our video, 15 Most Valuable Lessons from Buddha, Buddhism encourages people to share knowledge. To be a mentor. To give time to an organization and share skills.
Entrepreneur.com published an article titled, “The Importance of Honesty And Integrity In Business,” where they affirm that, “Leaders with integrity may not be the most famous or flashy of leaders, and they don’t care. Integrity means doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. And that’s what makes success.”
Aluxers, that’s the kind of mentor you should hope to find. They don’t have to be the CEO of the most well-known company in town, they need to show integrity, be kind, open and honest.
4
They Listen and Provide Valuable, Constructive Feedback
It’s such a punch in the gut when you’re talking to anybody and it’s clear they’re not listening to what you’re saying. It’s demeaning and makes one feel worthless.
A good mentor would never do that. They wouldn’t be distracted, scrolling through their phone or rubber-necking the cute dog they just spotted in the park… ok, well we’d let the dog rubber necking go, because let’s be honest, we spotted that doggo too.
But the crux is, is that they’re there for you and respect the time that they spend with you. When it comes to feedback, they offer it in a constructive manner that is supportive and helps the person work on their weaknesses.
5
The Mentor Keeps the Relationship Work Related
It’s easy to become buddy buddy with someone that you work closely with or spend a lot of time with.
As the focus of a Yale article discussing what makes a successful mentorship relationship, they brought forward that successful relationships are … “a structured relationship through which the mentee benefits by receiving advice and instruction from a seasoned professional.”
We adore Steven Spielberg’s take on being a mentor when he said, “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”
6
They Are Experts in Their Field
There is no way around this, a mentor cannot be guiding you when they don’t know sh*t about their own job, role and responsibilities.
Mentors are seasoned professionals. They’ve been around the block.
Aluxers, don’t confuse a coach with a mentor either. Coaching is usually for a much shorter period of time, whereas mentoring is usually for a year or more.
7
They’re Willing to Share Their Knowledge and Don’t Worry That Their Job Is on the Line If They Do
Aluxers, have you ever met someone who is so mum about their industry because they’re afraid that you’re after their job? Well, a good mentor is not that person. They’re happy to share their knowledge, and are secure in their position, wherever they work.
That’s not to say that mentors don’t make mistakes, they do. They just don’t play the blame game, instead they take responsibility for their actions.
A good mentor doesn’t teach you directly, they show you what you need to learn, then leave you to do the heavy lifting yourself… But not everyone is equipped to be a self-learner, which is why we’ve spent the last few months creating a course to tackle that very issue.
It’s called Learning Mastery and in it, we hack learning to show you how to break down information and strategically lock it away in your memory to recall when needed.
This course is not like anything currently on the market – and it goes live this weekend! You’ll find it at Alux.com/courses.
8
They Show an Eagerness to Learn and Continually Improve Themselves
The best mentors are the ones that believe that being a mentor not only teaches the mentee, but themselves as well.
They’re all about learning new things, becoming better people, making improvements and helping others do the same.
Let’s be honest, would you like to find a mentor who believes he or she already knows all there is to know? We doubt it, because even if they’re highly skilled in their field, there is always room for learning more.
9
Treats Everyone with Respect, from the Janitor to the CEO
There’s an old story that describes a young man who had a job interview at a prestigious firm. When entering the building of the firm, he was very dismissive of a janitor working there, and ignored the man’s greeting.
He proceeded to be curt with the secretary and was downright pompous with a huge ego.
When he was finally allowed into the boardroom for the interview, there was the janitor, or rather CEO of the company, waiting to tell him he was unsuccessful.
A true mentor is someone who treats everyone equally and with respect – it’s that simple.
Treating people with respect is a basic life discipline, learn more in 15 Disciplines to Have in Life.
10
Mentors Don’t Judge
Mentors have been where you are Aluxers. They started out just like you did and also looked to others for guidance and help. When you find a good mentor, he will guide you and not judge your every move, be it right or wrong.
Their role is not to break you down but build you up.
As Oprah Winfrey once said, “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”
Remember Aluxers, that if you found value in today’s article, we’d really appreciate your thumbs up, if you subscribe and not forgetting to hit that bell notification!
Question:
What can you suggest will help people find their perfect mentor? We’d really appreciate your feedback in the comments below.
