Your career key: A mentor

Most successful businesspeople will tell you that having a mentor was one of the keys to their success.  Although many people treat it like a checklist item (mentor, check!), if you are thoughtful and strategic about mentoring, it can be life changing. Here are five steps to getting the most out of a mentor:

1. Make room in your calendar.

You absolutely must make room in your schedule for mentoring sessions. And, let’s face it; most mentors only have the bandwidth to meet with you once a month anyway. Surely it is worth an hour of your time and the price of a latte. I can personally say, mentoring has made all the difference in my own career. In fact, without the feedback that I’ve gotten from my own mentors I wouldn’t be running Desk.com today.

1. Find the right people.

A common misconception is that you need to find one mentor who can advise you on every aspect of your career. But you don’t need to just have one. Take a hard look at the questions you have, the problem that you want a mentor to help you solve or your desired professional growth area. Do you want to make a career change? Do you want to get promoted or take on more responsibility? Do you need to better adapt to the company culture? The goal should be to find the most experienced mentor to help you with professional development—whether they are inside your company or outside of it. The mentor you choose should be the person or people who can best help you answer your pressing questions.

1. Be clear about what you want.

Don’t just ask someone, “Will you be my mentor?” Unless you are specific about your goals, you won’t be able to achieve them. Be precise about the problem you need help with and what you want from a mentor. For example, you might ask someone if they can meet with you for an hour each month to help improve your presentation skills. Or to have coffee once a month to help you research a career change. If they know what the expectation is, they can be realistic about their ability to help.

1. Make every meeting count.

If you’re asking someone to give up his or her free time, you need to be sure to use it wisely. Come to every conversation with objectives and a list of questions that you hope to cover. You might even share these in advance so they have time to prepare. Even more important than coming to a meeting prepared, is that you follow up on the advice that your mentor took the time to give you.

1. Be open to feedback.

The point of having a mentor is to get perspective on your career. There’s no point in asking for input, though, if you aren’t open to receiving it. I’ve been told some things that weren’t easy to hear (like that I needed to improve my presentation skills and dress more professionally), but hearing them made a big difference in my career.

Mentorship is the single most valuable thing you can do for your career, if it is done correctly.  Don’t miss out!  Find a great mentor, ask for their help, and get started today.