As this series has already discussed, there are many advantages of work mentorship<\/a>. Both the mentor and the mentee can benefit. Mentor programs:<\/p>\n Yet your organization may not yet have a mentoring program in place. That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t find yourself a mentor. After all, Wendy Murphy, author of Strategic Relationships at Work<\/a>, cites research noting \u201cpeople with mentors get promoted faster, earn a higher salary, and are more satisfied with their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n Motivated to build a relationship with someone who can listen, discuss and help develop your career, and serve as a professional role model? Take the following tips into consideration when looking for a mentor at work.<\/p>\n Just because you have a vision of a productive and meaningful relationship with another professional, not everyone will share your perspective. Yes, being a mentor can positively impact the individual who agrees to work with you. Yet, they may not see that up front. After all, being a mentor takes time and effort. So, don\u2019t give up if you can\u2019t immediately identify an appropriate mentor.<\/p>\n Look for an individual who can guide and encourage you. Typically you\u2019ll pick someone a step or two ahead of you professionally who can help you navigate challenging situations and encourage you to take risks. The mentor doesn\u2019t have to be in your direct field. It can often be valuable to pick someone with a varied skillset. You\u2019ll get a fresh perspective that way.<\/p>\n In approaching a mentor, you\u2019ll want to know what kind of mentoring you want. Many people think of mentoring as a long-term, one-on-one relationship. This is a good model. But it isn\u2019t the only one. Perhaps you want to try group mentoring or are looking to work with a peer.<\/p>\n Or perhaps you\u2019re more interested in a short-term mentoring relationship. This might work if you\u2019ve identified a specific skill you want to address. You could identify an expert and work with them just a few times to learn more and develop yourself in this area.<\/p>\n Knowing your goals from the outset can help you select the right mentor. If you are looking for help transitioning into a new role, find someone who knows that role. If you want to be more assertive at work, select a mentor who you admire for their confidence.<\/p>\n Before approaching a mentor reflect on your strengths<\/a> and areas of opportunity. Determine your priority focus area. Don\u2019t expect a mentor to be enthusiastic about agreeing to partner with you if you have a long laundry list of \u201cpriorities\u201d you want to work out. Instead, you might think of mentoring with multiple people to meet your varied objectives.<\/p>\n Mentoring will be more beneficial (to both parties) if you look for someone with a fresh perspective. \u201cIf you are really going to push yourself and grow, you need a mentor who is different from you, who can give you a different point of view,\u201d Kathy Patterson the Chief Human Resources Officer at Ally Financial in Detroit told The Muse<\/a>.<\/p>\n You may be excited about the prospect and ready to email or call your potential mentor with a request to be their mentee. Still, you\u2019re more likely to be successful in asking someone to be your mentor if you build a relationship first. Start out asking for an informational interview or inviting the person for a casual conversation over coffee.<\/p>\n If you have a shared contact, you might ask that individual to make an introduction. Or you might leverage a common college or belonging to a professional organization together to make that first contact.<\/p>\n The preliminary meet and greet or casual conversation can help you decide whether this is someone you with whom you can be honest. The mentorship won\u2019t be as successful if you are reluctant to share details about yourself and your work.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to weigh whether your communication styles will mesh too. For example, if you are someone who gets anxious when you don\u2019t get an immediate response to a question, you probably don\u2019t want to work with someone who takes two weeks to answer your original request for a meeting.<\/p>\n You are asking a favor of your mentor at work. So, do what you can to make the process easier for them. You should be the one to manage your schedule. Agree up front whether you will meet in person, by phone, or virtually. Establish a framework for how often you will meet and for how long.<\/p>\n You might also consider sending the mentor a heads-up before any meeting telling them what you want to discuss. Providing a short agenda or questions they can think about in advance can help make better use of the time together.<\/p>\n Beyond getting to know the person to find out if they will fit as a mentor, you need to also nurture the relationship with the mentor. Demonstrate that you are listening and value their feedback. Find ways to show your gratitude<\/a> for their time and effort with you. This can include<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n1. Have reasonable expectations<\/h2>\n
2. Know what kind of mentoring you want<\/h2>\n
3. Set clear goals<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n4. Seek a different point of view<\/h2>\n
5. Start small<\/h2>\n
6. Find someone you can be open with<\/h2>\n
7. Take charge of the logistics<\/h2>\n
8. Nurture the relationship<\/h2>\n