What are some best practices for finding and reaching out to mentors in your field?

I have worked with my mentees to create GROW and personal OKRs. This gives the focus and clarity to achieve whatever you want to accomplish in career and life.

During your search for mentors, you'll have the opportunity to connect with several experienced individuals. To make the most of this experience, it's important to establish clear goals and identify the specific skills you wish to acquire. Often, these skills align with individuals who share similar backgrounds, personalities, and objectives. By recognizing these commonalities, you can foster more effective communication and enhance the quality of your mentor-mentee relationship in a professional manner.

Also remember that it's best to get started when you're not under pressure. If you act because you face an urgent challenge, it is likely not going to work, so think long term and plan ahead.

Tal como ocurre en muchos aspectos tanto profesional como personal, antes de iniciar la búsqueda debemos hacer esas preguntas "puertas adentro" ?Qué deseo? ?que espero? ?Qué necesitó? Con esas respuestas podemos lograr una construcción preliminar de los objetivos que indudablemente contribuirá a la elección de ese modo de acompa?amiento y desarrollo.

Communities within that specific field are great starting point to find your mentors. That's how most of my mentees have found me.

Don't underestimate your alumni network. Your alma mater can be a goldmine for mentorship opportunities. Alumni networks are not only a testament to a shared educational background but often foster a sense of willingness to help fellow alumni.

For specific, one-off and jobs related mentoring, online platforms can work wonders. In that case, remember to focus on finding someone who understands your context: dates if career, cultural nuances, etc. When it comes to broader, longer term mentoring, the personality fit becomes more important so look for local offline communities, leverage and ask around in your network and finally look on social media for people who discuss the issues you face in a way you like. Ultimately don't forget that most humans always want to help, so don't be the one holding yourself back and do reach out...but come prepared!

When you make an outreach, try to be specific about what you are looking for and what type of time commitment might be required of the mentor. Do you want to meet weekly? Monthly? Do you want check-ins at certain benchmarks? This can be negotiated later, but it's helpful to give the other party an idea of how the mentoring commitment might look, so they can assess whether they have the capacity to take on a mentorship.

When reaching out it's important to show 2 things: - You've done your research and want this person specifically, because of their background, something they've done etc. If the recipient feels you're sending the same generic message to 50 mentors, it is never going to work. - Be vulnerable and ambitious. Don't ask anything you could Google or tactics, but focus of your broader goal so that the mentor want to embark on a journey with you. If possible you can post about your journey and goals on social media, and engage there with your mentor. He will then see you're true and passionate about the topic.

Start by researching potential mentors in your field, focusing on individuals whose expertise and values align with your goals. Reach out via email or LinkedIn with a concise, personalised message. Introduce yourself, express your admiration for their work, and explain why you seek their guidance. Be respectful of their time and clear about what you hope to gain from the mentorship.

Also remember to start with why. Why are you doing this, what's the urgency and the drive to do it and do it now? Why them? Why did you reach out specifically to this mentor? The best mentoring relationships always have some personal touch -so don't hesitate to get personal. Remember the trust equation while building the relationship. Trust = (Credibility+Reliability+Intimacy)/Self-orientation Work on those 4 dimensions to build the trust with your mentor.

Proper communication is paramount. Be diligent and invest the time to communicate clearly and keep your mentor up-to-date. Learn to say "I don't know" and accept your shortcomings while communicating. Finally, asking questions is a great way to communicate with a mentor. Why is this? How would you approach this? While these take seconds to ask they're a great way to maintain great communication lines with the mentor.

The best way to learn is to fail. If initial attempts don’t succeed, reflect on the feedback you receive from your mentor, adapt your approach, and try again. If you get stuck, the mentor should provide a supportive environment for you to explore the different courses of action, and guide you through any challenges.

I've been mentoring professionals over 9 years. Some of them assigned by their leaders others just because they want to be developed and to learn faster through someone's experience and knowledge. I have to say that, when the talent chooses to be my mentee usually is more valuable because it is something she/he wants and they are going to dedicate and put their hearts on it rather than meet their bosses' expectations. It's an opportunity for both mentor and mentee to growth and be a better version of ourselves.