How do you keep your mentor or coach invested in your long-term success?

Your mentor is giving the gift of his or her time. They listen to you and give you thoughtful advice and the benefit of their experience. They want to see you win. So let them know you value and appreciate that gift- tell them, show up, ask questions, come prepared and commit to the relationship and your own growth.

The name of the game is enrollment. Just as it is an incredible skill to be able to enroll buyers in your product or service, it is also a top skill to enroll everyone in your life. If we learn how to enroll friends in our mission, our family in our goals, we can also learn how to enroll our coach in the success of our partnership. Providing feedback to our coach to help them expand their skills is also invaluable. Referring and enrolling others to join the coach’s client list is also a great way to keep them for the long haul.

This should be the other way around. A client should not have to entertain to keep their coach engaged. If that’s happening- time for a new coach who is fully invested in you!

For mentorship to flourish and be beneficial, it needs to be a long-term, lasting relationship. It does not expire after a certain time. It requires effort from both parties. Get and accept the feedback; let your mentor(s) know if there is anything else she / he can help you with or where you need their perspective. Can’t make it? Need more time? Need to see them impromptu? Let them know. Make sure to agree this is a way you can connect beforehand. Don’t be late. Don’t overstay. Protect their time. It’s not a lecture. It’s a dialogue. It will enrich both of you. Whenever I was a mentor, I got a lot back when my mentees shared their points of view, clarified, and probed. This truly drove the value of the interaction home- for both of us.

In my experience, all the time and energy I put into mentoring talented colleagues was more than paid back when I saw them take action on my advice, and follow through on their commitment to themselves. At the end of the day, you have a mentor because you want to grow. So act on it- take that uncomfortable action, push yourself, and let your mentors see and know. The best mentorship partnerships start with the mentor invested in the mentee’s success. That interest is yours to lose. Don’t let it wither.

Is there anything that you need to figure out as you try to implement their advice? Reach out. Get their views- ask some more. This not only lets them know you’re acting- it helps you tweak your approach as you go. You waste no time, you leverage their expertise, and you pay them the compliment of making them a partner in your growth. Mentors are invaluable for you to prepare for that big meeting, that review, that tough conversation. Even to think about how to talk to your boss about that offer you’re considering. Document your last meeting with your manager. Review it with your mentor. See if she has the same take as you. Get any pointers for how to best address the need. Seek their input constantly and leverage their perspective.

Set an alert in Google for topics you know she cares about. Send the content to her with a note. Offer to help on any project they are working on. Proof read their document, share input, hook them up with knowledgeable people in your network that can add to them. Mentorship is a two-way street. Let them see you’re also invested in them.

In my experience, a true connection for me as a mentor is when the people I help allow me to really know them. I’m a mom of 2 kids 10 years apart. Tell me about your kids. Tell me about your struggles. Let’s brainstorm how to build, but in a way that you don’t lose your mind. ASK QUESTIONS! Be human. I still keep in touch with many of my former clients and they ALWAYS know I have an open door policy.

Be proactive about mentorship. Don’t wait for your boss to offer it up or to connect you with someone. Look for it, and better yet, volunteer to help others. Pay it forward. Get more than one mentor. In my career, mentors were one of my most important growth engines and sources of learning and objective feedback. They (mostly) gave me great feedback, actionable and clear (although not always easy to hear!). Be there to grow and learn and let them see that. Do what you say and let them see you value the gift of their time and input.

Show you are ready to commit and take action Take action Request them as an accountability partner Express how helpful they are and the value Ask them for feedback because you value it Honour your working coachee/mentorship agreement

With my coaches/mentors, I add value back to them. For example, I know my Coach has a dream of being a consultant for government entities. Knowing what he wanted, I leveraged my relationships to connect him to them. I love being a connection bridge as that elevates my value to all my contacts. I have put so many people together just because I care enough to learn what they want, then keep my radar open to find who has that thing and be the bridge to connect them. It is also why I am in TV media. My guests want a new audience, and I am their bridge to that opportunity. I am a bridge- a value bridge, and that absolutely keeps my Coach/Mentor invested in me because of the law of reciprocity.