“I need a mentor” - Is it just a cool thing to say ?
mentor (noun): an experienced and trusted adviser
In a recent poll done by Mela Ventures on LinkedIn – asking what do startup entrepreneurs want from VC’s (Other than the money, duh! ), the highest votes polled was for mentorship.
This got me thinking and there were many questions in my mind: how many entrepreneurs have the right mentors, do mentors give their valuable time for mentoring, is it realistic to expect a mentor to know everything, does past experience of a mentor a guide or hindrance to innovation, and many more. Lot more questions than answers – a quick desk research pointed to some clues:
- Sometime back Forbes did a study and found out while more than 75% said they need a mentor, however less than half of them had one. Wonder why?
- Most likely the mentor you want is probably the most successful, busiest, involved-in-hundred-things person – if you can get her as a mentor, by all means go ahead and consider yourself very privileged/lucky – but more often than not you spend a lifetime searching for an ideal one.
- True mentorship needs time – otherwise the mentor does not understand the context and can only give generic advice based on experience.
- A “one size fits all” kind of approach wherein the mentor can help/advice/guide across different areas is far-fetched.
- However, a good mentor-mentee relationship, structured well with right expectations is a great tool for both personal and professional growth; at the same time, it is not a cure for all situations/problems.
Still, most of the written material on entrepreneurship tells you to go get a mentor. And budding entrepreneurs think this is a cool thing to say! What should you do ?
If a mentor-mentee relationship is configured correctly, the probability of success is high on both sides. While there are many different viewpoints to consider, here are a few starting points:
What should mentors do:
- Choose your mentees carefully
- Set expectations
- Build relationship before mentorship
- Be very vocal of your optimism and be very careful of your cynicism
- Group mentees together to address common concerns
What should mentees do :
- Define your specific needs – this will help you choose wisely
- Write out a Job Description of an ideal mentor
- Once you find a person who you think will be ideal for you, make a clear ask
- Be mindful of your mentors time
- Be responsive and work on the actions agreed
At the end of the day, time is in short supply for all of us. And time spent in mentoring must be mutually enriching and rewarding. Sometimes it may be better to choose multiple mentors for different needs. And both the mentors and mentee should be comfortable to end the relationship after it has outlived its purpose.
Finally, do not forget a few very smart, good friends you have – maybe you should tap into them. Mentorship is dead – long live mentorship!
It was great reading this and it is special when it comes from you ?? You would have mentored thousands in your career without even knowing about it ?? As Shivakumar said, most of those people who said they wanted a mentor would have expected you or KK to be their Mentor and brought them leads too ??
GenAI Explorer | Speaker & Educator | Leader | Learner
3 年Not much experienced in the startup world I am, but what I have witnessed and experienced that you never choose your mentor (if there is no money exchange), it's the mentor who chooses you. It's a blessing to get someone who has interest in your growth.
Co Founder at 1Crowd
3 年Very well articulated Partha and thank you for sharing.
Director & DACH Sustainability Solutioning lead at Accenture
3 年Dear Partha.. wonderful point of view on mentorship. I did vote for mentorship and when I did that, I felt with a mentor ( :-) and I was thinking of someone like you or KK), I would, in the bargain, get the other important facets of a start-up like Business Leads, etc., also addressed. Sort of an umbrella catch-all scope covered! ?? Several mentors are shaping my life (they may or may not even know). “Everything in the universe is a Guru because one can learn something or the other from it - Dattatreyar”