You’re feeling stuck in your career. How can you find a mentor who can help you get to the next level?

How to find a mentor? 1. Define Your Needs:Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses and skill gaps. What specific areas do you need guidance in ? 2. Seek Feedback:Ask friends, family, and colleagues for honest feedback on your skills and potential career paths. 3. Broaden Your Search:While your current circle can be a valuable resource, look for potential mentors in professional organisations, online communities, or alumni networks. 4. Meet the Mentors:Meet at least 3 potential mentors to find the best fit. This allows you to assess their expertise, communication style, and availability. Additionally:Step outside your comfort zone. The perfect mentor might be someone you haven't met yet, but who has the experience and guidance to help you.

I believe in me, I’m not simply trust others, I always believe I’m better than others , maybe I just read around and compare to myself with others, as I tell you I’m that kind of person difficult or I don’t simply accept what others opinion.

Stuck in your career and want to step up..... this is not about career changing it is about progression. Talk to friends or trusted colleagues to vocalise your situation. Simply talking it through will help your thought process and generate some ideas. To progress suggests there is a path to move along; what is common in the industry/your business? What does that journey look like and why have you paused? I'm not sure a mentor is the right choice of person/word here. You really want someone who can help open up and explore what is happening. Once you understand the position you are in you can go about taking positive action.

Check on LinkedIn to see as they have plenty of mentors. Our organisation also can help early stage and senior management teams who are stuck in a rut and looking for that next step in their career. Perhaps a career change or enhancing and learning new skills to complement your existing CV could help you.

When stuck in a career, a good, proven Mentor is always the best solution, this person helps us see, makes us find out on the reasons, guides on improvement. Do not look for a magician who will do your job. Identify where a person is stuck, this is most important, without knowing this, there is no way forward. Once done, identify mentors who have a proven record, testimonials, case studies of their successful students in areas similar to yours. If such mentors are not known, use platforms like LinkedIn, reach out them with personalized message and reasons why you need their assistance and with your intention. Be ready to follow and work.

Here are the steps: - Know exactly what you want to accomplish. If you want to grow in EQ, that's a different mentor than making a career transition into IT - Leverage the technology at your fingertips. Search your internal and external databases, post publicly on your internal and external social media specifying what you're looking for, etc. - Once you find your mentor, be direct about your goals - Have a candid conversation about the way you'd like to work together Lastly, ask them how they define "Mentor." Some mentors want you to be their carbon copy and some want to simply support your unique style and choices as a leader, lean towards the latter. You are looking for someone to ENHANCE who you are - not ERASE who you are.

Stagnant in your career? We all go through different transitions in our careers, many that take us into completely different sectors and roles. If you’re seeking a change, it is often beneficial to have multiple sources of insightful advice from trusted people. Having a critical friend to guide you as a guiding light and positively pushing you to take action. A mentor doesn’t always come with the tag of mentor, and it can be many people feeding into your ‘knowledge bank’. If you have a mentor who is very narrow in their advice and approach, they can also negatively impact the decisions you take. It may take multiple approaches to find the best fit and often a great mentor can appear randomly from a meeting or connection.

Meet with leadership professionals who have offered their support to you. At times just talking with another professional in the mentoring capacity who knows you, or has seen potential in you, can help you determine the next steps in your career path. In addition, these people are great sources of connection. They have the advantage of having experienced your skill set, talent and initiative and know who to connect you with in their network. Be ready to explain with your IQ what your current EQ is adding to your future expectancy, and what your request is in this meeting. Be honest and open about what they can bring to the conversation that might help you. Take notes, ask questions, and follow-up with a thank you email.

When reaching out to potential mentors, express your needs and how you see their assistance. Request an introductory or Discovery call, even with someone familiar. Mentorship is a partnership; clarify expectations, discuss mentoring styles, and outline your mutual goals. This is a collaborative relationship, not a one-sided directive, ensuring alignment and a beneficial connection.

Building rapport and trust with mentees is one of the key ingredients to a successful relationship between mentors and mentees. If you have created a consistent schedule, be prepared and bring questions you would like answered in advance. Once your mentor has given you feedback, plan on implementing what you learned to the next level. Mentees are passive learners, and it is difficult for mentors to give feedback and help them grow. Don't be afraid to fail. Your mentor is here to help you and support you through the process.

Firstly what is it you actually want? Find someone who is already where you want to be get to know them and just ask. Might be an idea to offer to shadow or give some of your time to work alongside them? That’s a great way to get closer and to show what you can do.

What I did was to join chambers of commerce and industry associations, actively participating and being of service. This approach not only expanded my network but also opened up avenues for mentorship and personal development, fostering authentic connections that have been instrumental in my growth.

To find a mentor who can help you break through career stagnation, get involved in industry-related events, seminars, or workshops. During these events, actively engage with speakers or panelists whose expertise aligns with your career aspirations. Instead of immediately asking for mentorship, express genuine interest in their work and insights. Offer to assist them with projects or research. Over time, as you build rapport and demonstrate your dedication, they may naturally transition into a mentorship role, providing guidance tailored to your career advancement.

I took a short course on transformative leadership. The instructors were very knowledgeable and inspiring. I talked to one of them and told him I'd be honored to have him as a mentor. He answered "the honor is mine!"