How can you turn a professional relationship into a mentorship?

Mentors should be TEMPORARY, designed to provide a perspective that reflects the lived experience you’re looking for (e.g. you’re looking to get into strategy and you’re talking to the VPs of Strategy across organizations that have done what you’re looking to do). Don’t look for a single long-term mentor, nobody can fill that need sufficiently. Look for mentors across industries, organizations, roles that have done what you want to do - and try on their advice.

The best way to influence others is to lead by example. It is so important to consciously keep in mind that, our every action has to be positive, we need to perform with hundred percent commitment, willing to listen and learn, and do a course correction when required. And at the core of it, always ensure to focus on the goal and ensure we complete it without giving up. So, identify mentors who are on that path of positivity. Find someone who is willing to support you in achieving your goals

I would add that you should identify multiple mentors with specialized skills in different areas. Leverage them as your own personal board of advisors. Be clear in your asks and state what outcomes you are trying to achieve. This will help your mentor to coach you and help you better. Jointly come up with an actionable plan and schedule regular touchpoint meetings with the mentor to assess how you are progressing against your plan and if any tweaks are required. These meetings will also make you more accountable and committed to the goals you laid out as now you will be forced to discuss progress with someone.

Mentors help to unlock and unleash the power within oneself. Mentors can also help accelerate and can be a game changing factor in your life. Just be very clear on what your objectives are and be prepared to put in the effort and trust required to make things happen

Identifying a mentor is not as simple as it appears. Aside from the professional attributes you may identify in a mentor, you also want to find a mentor who can enhance your personality rather than getting you to mimic theirs. If and when you find a suitable mentor who takes consideration of your uniqueness and guides you through professional engagement to excel in your chosen profession, you’d have found a person of value and influence. Establishing rapport on the desired outcomes is a critical first step followed by agreement on how the impact of the engagement will be monitored and measured.

An easy and fun way to build rapport is to ask your mentor to tell you their career story backwards to forwards, beginning with where they grew up, where they got their education, etc. Ask them about the formative people in their lives and why, and the big choice points in their lives and why they made the choices they did and what they felt about them later in life. Give this discussion a good couple of hours if they are willing or break it into two sessions. People generally love to tell their story and it will give you great insight into who they are as a whole person.

Go for it! People are sometimes afraid to reach out to mentors - but don’t be! There’s nothing more flattering than to be asked to pass on your skills and knowledge. Also, it’s the relationship that’s most important to help you learn, so equally don’t be afraid of moving onto a different mentor if you’re not getting good vibes. This being said, we learn most when we’re outside our comfort zone, so don’t mistake being challenged to learn, with bad vibes :-)

Instead of asking for advice on a topic, ask about their success, failures and lessons that they want to share around a task, responsibility or skill. Advice can be general and applied out of context, but lessons learned from what went well and what didn’t situationally is so valuable.

Be prepared for a No. Or more No's. Mentors are busy, and often will not reply on time or even have already full capacity dedicated to mentees. Be prepared for receving a NO, that will definetly help you to focus on your list of mentors and try again. In the end, they are just people like you. They love to give back, but also have friends and family to take care and use their time. Time is never free exchange coin.

Mentors are humans - they connect at the emotional level. At this stage, you have little to offer, except from the respect and satisfaction the mentor will experience in supporting you. He/She will feel useful by giving you advices. You need to value this. Don’t forget that you give him/her the opportunity to find purpose in his/her actions. He /she may be bored by his/her job, he/she may find it irrelevant. So while contacting him/her, explain how important it is for you to get this support. Speak from the emotional side of you, value the benefits of him/her helping you. Showcase his/ her expertise and how it could be beneficial for you. You will get much more than you could expect, as you’re calling the best part of your mentor!

Preparation, preparation, preparation. Before you ask for mentorship, ensure that you are fully appraised of the identified mentor, their skills, their reputation and their interest to mentor. Not all successful people have the time or interest to mentor others. Therefore, its important to have some background information about the targeted mentor. Over and above that be very clear about what your shortcomings are, where you need guidance and mentorship and what the targeted mentors strengths are to facilitate your development in the areas that you have identified. In your initial contact it's critical to highlight these gap areas to spark interest in the mentor, for an informative first contact session. I think it falls apart here often.

Another way to build a mentor relationship is to ask if you could help the mentor with a project or piece of work so you can learn and observe. Getting involved in some specific project or goal is an effective way to naturally build the relationship over time. It will be easy to say thank you I consider you my mentor.

Be prepared for a No. Just because you feel you are ready the other party may not be. Ask for a recommendation. It softens the blow for both of you. Remember this is not a rejection. It is a choice they are making that is often also for your benefit.

Have goals in mind prior to the ask, with clear and measurable outcomes. Your mentor may be able to review and help revise these, but go into the initial request with a perspective on what this mentor can provide. This sets the potential mentor up for success as they can choose whether they are capable of helping you achieve your goal(s).

Mentorship programs are great in my experience.Its important to manage expectations from both Mentor and mentee.Meet and introduce yourselves well enough.My own experience is that you must set a road map with clear objectives for each engagement you have with your mentees. I chose engagement as opposed to formal.meetings as your interactions can be both formal and informal, have fun in the process and be open to learning from your mentor and your mentees. The age gap always brings out the reachness of your relationship, embraces Diversity and inclusion and builds trust.Be open and flexible to take feedback and respect each other. Always communicate timeously if you cannot meet a deadline, set boundaries and define your meeting frequencies.

Consistency is key. I've personally experienced, and admit to doing it myself, a lack of consistency that will prevent a relationship from taking hold. As an aside: The phrase "I was so busy" isn't truly accurate. Everyone has the same 24-hours in their day and we all fill it with a variety of tasks. A better phrase to incorporate in your conversations is, "I prioritized other things." The simple implication of this is that it shifts the burden from the other person to yourself - take accountability for your relationships or lack thereof. The way I have seen leaders effectively create consistency is: put ticklers in your calendar, keep track of important dates and facts of the person (birthday, family member names), and be authentic.

Absolutely, consistency and continuity are key. You put into it what you get out of it. A mentor is different from a coach or a sponsor. The mentor is someone that you can bounce ideas off of in a safe space to help you fine tune a concept or idea. You’re learning from their experience and insight. Be thoughtful and strategic in your discussions and share your learnings with them to help build a mutually beneficial relationship.

I believe that nurturing the relationship is the most important step of mentorship after asking for the relationship. I have mentored hundreds of individuals, and the longest tenures are due to the mentee taking on the responsibility of nurturing the relationship. By nurturing, I am referring to subtle research on learning your mentors' background, personal likes, dislikes, current challenges, passions, and then using that information to better the overall mentorship relationship. These steps solidify the relationship, and you will find that your mentor will take personal interest in your development and success.

Successful mentorship thrives on mutual commitment and active engagement from both mentor and mentee. It's a dynamic partnership where both parties contribute effort to realize tangible outcomes. Structured meetings, thoughtfully planned and scheduled in advance, create a foundation for accountability and responsibility. This framework not only ensures focused discussions but also fosters a proactive approach, maximizing the value of each interaction and propelling measurable progress towards set goals.

Mentorship comes from a place of trust, trust is built on relationship. Of you’re looking for someone to mentor you, you have to build a relationship first, so they know you and how to add value to your relationship.

1. Tell your mentor what you want to learn from them. Making them guess can be exhausting and not fun. 2. Show up to the mentorship meetings with questions and an agenda. 3. Let your mentor know what you are learning and how you are integrating the learning and sharing with others. 4. Put a time limit on the mentoring. Not that you can’t pick up again but defining a time period will keep things moving and not feel endless and overwhelming.

One of the best gifts a mentee can give a mentor is the gift of sharing. 1. Share the next steps you will take as a result of the mentorship. 2. Share your successes as a result of the mentorship. 3. Share how you have paid it forward. Just as life is a circular process so is mentorship. Many times the mentee is giving just as much as the mentor. We all learn from each other.

We all need a mentor but not everyone is lucky enough to get one, specially the right one with the heart, experience and competence to guide someone. Soak in it. Take it seriously and apply what you learn.

D'après mon expérience de mentor, l'entretien de mentorat est d'autant plus efficace que le mentoré a fait un travail préparatoire et qu'il arrive avec des questions fermées plut?t que des questions ouvertes par rapport à des problématiques concrètes qu'il souhaite traiter. Il limitera ainsi le risque de sous-traitance de son problème au mentor par rapport auquel il conservera son autonomie dans son analyse et dans sa prise de décision.

Remember that all growth happens in bursts, regressions and pauses. Share your wins, your challenges and your failures. Success includes the failures and what you did with the stumble. What did you learn and what do you need to move a different direction or try again in the same direction. The transparency is key to the relationship and shows respect of you and the mentor in the process. Keeping a journal so that you can reflect on where you started is good to recap in meetings and for yourself. Many times, we do not realize how far we have progressed.

As someone who has mentored formally and informally, the best reward I get is seeing my mentee grow and use his or her new skills in ways I hadn't even considered. I love to see them pay it forward and become a mentor to someone else. Mentoring is a two-way street. Make sure you're not always going down the one-way road of enhancing your own skillset; give back to others and help them grow their careers as well.

Transform professional relationships into mentorships by mutually sharing knowledge and support. Give back by aiding your mentor’s goals and pay it forward by guiding others. This enriches your network and reputation.

In my experience a mentor is definitely a two way process. I have learned a lot from those who I mentored and likewise have provided feedback to those that I have been blessed to mentor me. If you are a mentor, learn to ask those you lead, what can I do better at or how can I take what I do to the next level? It’s critical that the mentee knows they have a role they play in your growth, don’t miss out because from what I found they are full of hidden gems that can really elevate your game to a whole new level.

Mentorship involves a reciprocal exchange of knowledge, insights, and support between mentor and mentee. While mentors offer guidance based on their experience, mentees contribute fresh perspectives, enthusiasm, and sometimes even innovative ideas. The relationship thrives when both parties actively engage, sharing feedback and learning from each other. Mentees bring energy and a different worldview, challenging mentors to stay current and adaptable. Simultaneously, mentors gain satisfaction from contributing to someone else's growth and often find inspiration in the mentee's unique approach. This dynamic interaction creates a mutually beneficial partnership, fostering growth and development on both sides of the mentorship equation.

Mentoring, when fully effective, is more about work relationships & building networks. When mentoring is done correctly, both parties should gain insight & development - mutual development should really occur. With good mentoring, sometimes the teacher learns more than the student.

There are many ways to serve as an informal mentor. Consider ways to proactively offer advice and guidance to others--to help someone that is navigating unfamiliar ground. It feels great and often leads to a valuable relationship.

We can turn a professional relationship into a meaningful mentorship by borrowing from Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRM) principles of: respect, reciprocity, and relationality. Much like IRM… emphasize deep listening and trust-building, fostering mentorship requires commitment, a reflective consideration of shared goals, and a responsible approach to the knowledge exchanged. By embracing these principles, individuals can transform their professional connections into mentor-mentee relationships, creating a foundation built on mutual understanding and shared growth.

Reach out to someone you respect, and establish some goals. Be intentional with your time - don’t let things slip or get too distracted from your goals. Re-establish goals periodically and evaluate if the mentorship has been valuable.

Often, myself included, we think that mentors are supposed to tell us what to do. My perspective changed when I read a thread by Sidu Ponnappa, suggesting that mentors should: a) shed light on the mentee's blind spots and biases, and b) provide knowledge that can only be gained through experience

Mentor programs are an important part of personal development. For it to be successful there does need to be some sort of structure e.g arranged catch ups, objectives and overcoming challenges. I do feel a lot of companies think someone who does their job well is automatically a great mentor. All mentors need to be given training and support to be a successful mentor.