It is common advice for young adults to find a mentor. Unfortunately, more often than not a mentoring arrangement will fail. Here’s how you can improve your chances of a meaningful engagement.
The secret to a successful mentoring relationship is the same as any successful relationship – there needs to be value for both sides. The benefits of mentoring can only be realised with the passing of time, which means the dialogue has to be sustainable.
Too often, finding a mentor is approached as a matching exercise, where it’s expected that an engagement will be sustained because of a common element, like a shared profession, experience or background.
Instead, try to approach finding a mentor as a value proposition for both sides.
Anyone is happy to give advice, much like anyone is happy to receive advice. But what will it take for this dialogue to continue?
Why would a mentor choose to continue giving their time and experience, and why would you as the mentee choose to continue giving your time and attention?
This approach is not just helpful for the potential mentor, who would love the opportunity to consider the value from their side first, rather than asked outright to engage. It’s also very helpful for you as the potential mentee, as you must consider the type of engagement that works for you too.
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