Elevate Your Career Now By Doing This ONE Thing

It’s amazing at how many things are sold to professionals which claim to be the next best thing in advancing your career.  From books and seminars to workshops and online tutorials, there seems to be an endless supply of crap that many of us buy to help our careers yet few ever see any real return on investment.

​There is one thing that doesn’t rely on fancy sales pitches or overdone workbooks and it can truly elevate your professional game.  Best part is we all have access to it and most often it is completely free of charge.

Welcome to MENTORSHIP.

No matter where you are in your career having a mentor is highly advisable as it can be the difference between you navigating the waters of a successful career versus drowning in the murky depths of the rat race.  Mentors aren’t just strategic career advisors they’re the angel over your shoulder whispering sweet nothings into your ear. 

So if having a mentor was so impactful how come more people don’t have them?

Typically it’s because we’re scared to ask for help.  It’s possible we don’t think we need the help, though many would object.  It could also be because we don’t know where to look to find such a connection.

At the start of this year I decided it was high time to get me a new mentor.  I’ve been lucky in my life to have a consistent and very good mentor in my father which I’m incredibly thankful and fortunate to have.  I was looking for an additional mentor that had specific experience – growing a business from the ground up and doing so with a technical customer base.

After doing some snooping around I landed on the website of Micro Mentor.  It’s like a dating site for professionals looking for a mentor, but no hanky panky is involved.  You fill out a profile and then your needs and interests are matched with a possible mentor.  Both parties get to review one another’s profiles after which they have an initial conversation to see if the match is a good fit.  This is where I met Bonnie.

Fast forward Bonnie and I have now been working together for eight months and I’m continually impressed and appreciative of the guidance and thought provoking perspective she brings to the table.  Bonnie started a technology service business in San Francisco a couple decades ago by investing a couple thousand dollars to start the company.  From that start she grew the business to over 100 employees and has recently retired, earlier nonetheless, as a result of the success she experience along the way.  Needless to say I feel like I can accomplish a lot knowing I have Bonnie in my corner. (let’s also not forget my father)

Why am I sharing this with you?  If you don’t have a mentor you need to get one! 

The relationship, when done right, will positively change every aspect of your career and outlook on business.  I’m so passionate about mentoring that I too am a mentor – it’s worth every minute of my day.

Here’s what mentors, like Bonnie and my father, bring to the table and why they’re so incredibly valuable to you and I:

> Business Savvy – they bring experience and knowledge to the table that just can’t be matched by a text book or online workshop.  You can’t replace real experience.  Learning from a mentor isn’t just about accomplishing big feats it’s also about learning from their mistakes.  Yes they’ve made plenty of them just like you and I.

> External Perspective – often times when we need advice we go to people who are close to us, most commonly that work for the same company.  While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing what is important to remember is that these people have a certain level of bias in their thoughts and advice.  Having a mentor outside your company gives you the chance to get advice which focuses on the situation at hand rather than personal bias or internal company politics.  Mentors can also share with you how they have dealt with situations perhaps in other lines of business or industries which could provide you with a fresh approach to handling a situation. When your mentor is outside your company you can also rest easier knowing you can share your true feelings and thoughts and know that information won’t get back to your boss or be passed along at the water cooler.

> Confidant – Mentor are great listeners.  Like my mentor Bonnie, she’ll sit on the phone with me and graciously give me ample time to spill my guts at which point she does an excellent job summarizing the situation and delivering exceptional feedback.  I trust that I can be open with her which ultimately helps my development process.

> Accountability – Mentors vary greatly in this area and how they approach it.  If you are going to ask for a mentor make sure you are willing to actually implement the ideas and suggestions the two of you collectively come up with.  There’s no better way to ruin a good mentor relationship than to talk the talk but not walk the walk.  If you are one of those people that sometimes needs a swift kick in the ass to get going mentors can also be utilized for that, just be careful how much ass kicking you need.  Mentors ultimately aren’t baby sitters and they’re not supposed to run your business or career for you.

> Comfort Zone Executioners – let’s face it, we all love dancing in the comfort zone for longer than we should.  Mentors are great at breaking up common thoughts or practices to get you out of your area of complacency.  When this happens true growth is right around the corner.