Having someone to look up to—or seek guidance from—is not just helpful, it’s essential, especially in business, where a mentor can play a pivotal role in shaping one’s success.
While public figures like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg can serve as sources of inspiration, proper mentorship goes far beyond admiration from afar. It involves building a relationship with someone who has already walked a path similar to the one you’re striving to follow—someone whose experience, insight, and character you respect and aim to emulate.
A mentor might be a family member, such as a parent or relative, but more often, they’re someone outside your inner circle who can provide objective guidance. The best mentors offer more than just advice—they challenge your thinking, encourage your growth, and provide support in a way that’s constructive rather than critical. Unlike tough love that can sometimes feel too personal, a good mentor offers clarity, perspective, and a steady hand as you navigate your journey.
How To Find the Right Mentor
Networking at events intended for professionals, particularly in your industry, is an effective way to meet people, but setting out specifically to find a mentor will be challenging. Instead, simply attend with some friend or colleagues, maintain an easy-going attitude, and see if anyone you meet seems like they would make a good mentor, for you. This way, you can allow the relationship to happen organically rather than trying to decide on some one before you’ve had a chance to meet them.
LinkedIn and other professional online platforms present another opportunity to find someone who can help you develop and grow as a successful businessperson. Since users identify themselves by their professions on sites like LinkedIn, you can proactively seek them out. Try sending a connection request or a message to them, but avoid seeming overeager, especially if you don’t hear back right away.
Why You Should Find a Mentor
Not everyone feels like they need a guiding force in their life. Some people may not even contemplate adopting a mentor, or consider that having someone like that might be the very thing they’re missing. However, many individuals find themselves simply going through the motions when it comes to their careers, feeling uninspired, unmotivated, and directionless. Is “good enough” really the goal?
Mentors can push you to expand beyond your comfort zone, motivate you with their own accomplishments and ideas, and provide wisdom on subjects that can help you advance professionally. But this classic role is overlooked these days. As a Forbes magazine contributor suggested, younger generations might be either too proud to look at finding their own mentor and developing that relationship, or simply unaware of that possibility. But the mentor-protégé relationship has remained timeless for a reason: its effectiveness.
To advance in your career, you need the benefit of experience, the stuff that vocational dreams – and job postings – are made of. But how do you gain experience with out the opportunity to gain experience? In most cases, this occurs after putting in the hours and “paying dues” over a lengthy period of time. However, you can also arguably cheat a little with the benefit of someone else’s experience. Having an individual to learn from, whether you know them personally or get to know them through a book they’ve written or a podcast they host, can ultimately accelerate both your expertise and your opportunities.
by The BLACS Team