Who Needs a Mentor?

Not us! We have maintenance manuals, technical data, type certificates, Federal guidelines, and more. All the information we could ever need is at our fingertips. Who needs guidance?

The real answer? Every working professional ever, including us.

Legends From the Not So Hidden Temples

Any soul that has made significant strides in their respective fields from inventors, business leaders, artists, world-renown scientists, athletes, engineers, and more; have audibly attributed their heightened success to mentorship.

When we think about some of these individuals like Frida Kahlo, Garret Morgan, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Kobe Bryant, we think about all the things they contributed to the world through their profession and passion. They all speak about the mentors that helped them codify their legacy from being an average-sized American home to the Jeddah Tower.

Things to Consider for $200 Please!

Personal: Before searching for a mentor there are some things your need to ask yourself. In order to build that second level, you need your own foundation poured and framed first. Here are some questions to think about in terms of understanding yourself better:

• What makes me happy? Why?
• What drives me?
• What impresses me?
• What are my professional goals?
• If I could take my industry and change it, what change would I bring to it, if at all?
• What would I be willing to commit to my personal growth (time, money, energy, etc.)?
• What about my professional growth?

Professional: You're probably wondering how you would even go about finding a mentor. What do you even look for in said person? Besides if they wear pink on Wednesdays, here are a few questions to ask:

• Do they have specific industry experience?
• Are they in a career position you'd like to be in 5, 10, or 20 years from now?
• What are their qualifications and/or education outside of work experience?
• Will they commit time to help your professional development? And if yes, how much and for how long?
• Are you willing to listen to their guidance, even if it's something you don't want to hear?
• Will your personalities mesh?

Mentorship and Success

The statistics are in about the translation to having an active mentor and the subsequent successes that come with it. Having a mentor helps you avoid expensive mistakes, bump your salary quicker than your peers, increase your pay in larger amounts, opens doors at other companies, makes you significantly more likely to hold a leadership position, and even get promoted faster.

It's no secret we like to think highly of our abilities, but everyone needs a coach and everyone needs a mentor. If you want to navigate your professional life with intent, it's best do to it with someone more experienced.

What world would we live in if George Strait didn't have George Jones in his corner?

Resources

Make sure to check professional groups, organizations, and associations for potential mentors. LinkedIn is one great tool for that as well.

https://mccarthymentoring.com/why-mentoring-what-the-stats-say/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01421590600825326

https://www.guider-ai.com/blog/mentoring-statistics-the-research-you-need-to-know/