Mentors are usually volunteer counselors who guide you in your work, school, or other life. Sometimes mentoring is a regular, formal relationship between a professional and a new hire, and sometimes it's an informal relationship, much like a friend is considered a role model. While the mentor relationship will be determined by you, this article is designed to help you find a potential mentor and define the relationship. Read this article to get started.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Choosing a Mentor
Step 1. Understand the role of the mentor
A good mentor will help you learn something, but won't do it for you. Mentors guide by example. For example, an academic mentor might offer efficiency tricks, advice, and examples to show you the smart way to success, but not help you edit your history essay an hour before it has to be submitted. This is the difference between a tutor and a mentor. A good mentor will:
- Assess your strengths and weaknesses.
- Help you understand the structure and organization of a topic.
- Gives you a new perspective, and corrects wrong thinking.
- Improve your decision-making ability.
- Introduces you to tricks related to your field.
- Provides you with important resources and useful references.
Step 2. Consider academic mentoring
This activity is usually done face-to-face with someone who understands the subject you are studying, has free time to be a mentor, and wants to help with your academic achievements, for example:
- Lecturers, instructors, and other civitas.
- Older and experienced students.
- Siblings or other family members.
Step 3. Consider sports and entertainment mentoring
Find a mentor who is an expert in the sport you want to master. While athletic ability is the most important part of a sports mentor, consider the human part of the relationship when choosing a sports mentor. A good football mentor is a good and intelligent player, on and off the pitch. Consider:
- Coach and assistant.
- Experienced players on your team or other teams.
- Professional athlete or retired athlete.
- Trainer.
Step 4. Consider business mentoring
A business or professional mentor is usually a successful worker in the field you're looking to enter, who can give you advice on that area. His field of expertise can be anything, from stocks to guitar. Think about who can do what you wish you could do better, for example:
- Colleagues and business acquaintances.
- The old boss, though not the current supervisor.
- Workers with good reputation.
Step 5. Consider personal mentoring
Develop relationships with people you admire personally, not because of what they do, but because of their personality and their way of life. Think of people you like for no particular reason, for example:
- Neighbor.
- Your favorite bartender or barista.
- People whose style you like.
- Your worship companion.
- Music store worker.
- Fellow social club member.
Step 6. Find different ways to communicate
Your mentor may be a neighbor or classmate you admire, but it could be someone you have never met before. Rainer Maria Rilke's famous book, "Letters to a Young Poet", chronicles the process of correspondence between the poet (Rilke), and a budding writer who sends him poetry and asks him for advice. Consider:
- The successful people you read stories about and you feel have some things in common with you.
- Famous people on the Internet who are easy to contact.
- Anyone you feel is a good fit as your mentor, but you don't know personally.
Method 2 of 3: Finding a Mentor
Step 1. Decide what role you want your mentor to play
Write down any problems or needs you have regarding your field or subject. Answer the following questions:
- What do you want to learn?
- What do you look for in your mentor?
- How will your mentor relationship look?
- How often will you see the mentor? Where?
Step 2. Make a list of possibilities
Make a list of potential mentors based on the criteria you've created, and want to create a mentor relationship. Sort the list by your top choice.
- Look at your mentor as a whole. If you admire someone's work but can't tolerate their behavior, they probably won't make a good mentor.
- Hope as high as the sky. The rich and famous have personal assistants who learn from them and build relationships based on those working relationships, so why can't you do it? If you think Donald Trump could be your ideal business mentor, put his name at the top of the list. Write a letter to his office, try to plan a meeting with him, or sign up for "The Apprentice."
- Find out if your school or company has a formal mentoring program that will find a mentor for you. If so, find out if the program fits your goals, and join the program.
Step 3. Think about what you want to say
Asking a teacher to be your mentor right after class ends will frighten them if you don't explain what you're saying. Being a mentor is too big of a responsibility and a role if your only desire is to meet and ask for explanations about physics outside of class. Be specific about what you want.
- Use "mentor" as a verb instead of a noun. For example, "I need mentoring, so that my sales will increase next month. Your sales value is big, sir, so can you help me?", will be more attractive to your mentor, instead of "I need a mentor because my sales figures are too high." small this month. Please."
- Make sure you don't give your mentor the wrong impression. If the person you admire is of the opposite sex, you will be mistaken for asking out. If you're afraid to give false hope, do mentoring at work or college.
Step 4. Start approaching your potential mentor
Start on the list until you find the person who agrees with the relationship you want.
If you don't find a mentor right away, don't worry. Maybe the problem is not with you, but with the mentor's schedule or some other problem. Start over and consider a mentor who may have more time, or is more willing to work with you
Step 5. Make plans to meet
Don't let the relationship hang after you and your mentor agree on a relationship. Make definite plans to meet up and play golf to improve your skills, or do calculus homework on any given day.
If your first meeting was a success, plan your next meeting. You might be able to ask, "If the meeting becomes routine, can I?"
Method 3 of 3: Keeping Relationships Healthy
Step 1. Make a schedule and stick to it
Even if mentoring is done via email or online, don't ask your mentor thousands of last-minute questions if the questions don't fit the relationship you've designed.
If the relationship has reached its natural end, just end it. If you're sure that you've progressed in the area you learned from your mentor without needing weekly help again, just say so
Step 2. Create a mutually beneficial relationship
Think about what you can offer in return for your mentor. If you get a lot of advice on your story from a professor, ask if they need help with technology or research issues, such as installing a new wireless router.
As your career progresses, don't be a nut who forgets the shell. As opportunities arise, don't forget the mentors who helped you achieve them
Step 3. Show your appreciation
Write a letter to your mentor to let you know your progress and thank them for their contribution. The letter will make your mentor feel useful, needed, and competent in their field.
- Be specific. "Thanks for the help!" not as strong as "Thank you, sir, for your help in organizing the opening of the sale. Because of that, my sales figures went up!"
- Your thank you can also be a small gift, such as a book, a bottle of wine, or a treat.
Step 4. Maintain a professional relationship with your mentor
An emotional connection with your mentor can be bad, especially if you and your mentor work in the same place.
