The Importance of Finding a Mentor

It’s always good to be learning new things. As a mortgage professional for many decades now, I can tell you that there has never been a time when I wasn’t actively learning new things. In many of those cases, it was under the direction and with the support of a good mentor.

We give a lot of lip service to mentorship in our industry. I think most industries do that. Most are not very good at delivering it. It takes courage to reach out to someone more experienced than yourself and ask for help. And it takes time and effort to provide that help.

Mentorship benefits both mentors and mentees. I know, because I’ve been on both sides of that table.

When loan volumes fall and it becomes harder to build a growing business it becomes really important to find a mentor, someone who can help you navigate the new environment. Instead of telling you what to look for in a mentor, I’m going to take the opposite approach.

What a mentor is not

I know that we were taught in college never to define something in the negative, but I’m going to make an exception. Over the years, both working with a mentor and serving as one, I’ve learned a lot about what a mentor is not.

First of all, a mentor is not the person who has all the answers. They are not some know-it-all that exists to answer your questions. Rather, they are there to help you find your own answers. This is important because your answers won’t be the same as someone else’s.

A mentor is not a teacher, who comes in and tells you how to run your business. They don’t have a textbook to give you that walks you through the process of being successful. They guide you on your own journey to success.

A mentor not there to manage you or lord over you in some way. They will not set your goals for you, but rather act more like a wingman, coming alongside as a coach to help you reach the goals you set for yourself.

What your mentor will be for you

I can’t tell you what your mentor will be for you because I don’t know what you need out of that important relationship. Some people are looking for the benefit of experience to help understand loan products or the sales process. Others just need an objective opinion of their own strengths and weaknesses. Some just need to hear that they can do it.

What I can tell you is that a good mentor will find out what you need to be more successful and then help you find it. They won’t deliver it to you in the form of some proclamation, but rather guide you to your own realization. It works.

I’m fortunate enough to be mentoring some very talented loan officers today but still have room for a few more. If you’re interested in finding out what it’s like working with an experienced mentor, feel free to reach out to me.