If you look at the lives and careers of some of the world's most successful people in business, you may observe that they share something in common: they had the support of mentors.
Take Oprah Winfrey, for example. Her mentor was the acclaimed poet and author Maya Angelou. Or look at Mark Zuckerberg, who had Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as his mentor.
Both of the above furnished examples showcase high-achieving professionals and leaders within their industries, who started out their multi-billion careers as novices (comparatively), but became wildly successful while under the guidance and support of a mentor.
Utilizing the support of a mentor, especially within your workplace, can have numerous benefits.
First, your leadership mentor can introduce you to their network, which is essential for spotting and securing new business or career boosting opportunities as an aspiring leader. Additionally, when facing financial challenges within your business, they can guide you to hire experts for a successful liquidation process if it becomes necessary to protect your interests and navigate any complex situations that may arise.
Because they are able to at least briefly observe you in action within the context of your work environment, your chosen mentor can better identify your areas of improvement and work with you to strengthen your skills and improve strengths. Their context-specific advice and support can also prove to be a strong motivating factor when facing difficulties or setbacks at work.
Finally, they help you achieve your leadership goals through being your accountability partner. Your meetings with them can be seamlessly integrated into your mutual work schedules if you have selected them from within your organization. They don't even need to be formal. Sometimes these meetings could be quick catch-ups for a coffee break or in the staff canteen. What might be a timely 5-minute check-in via a Teams call, could prove helpful in boosting your confidence before making a critical decision.
No doubt, you're reading this article because you already are aware of at least some of the benefits of having a leadership mentor. But what if you don't currently have one? How can you identify the best leadership mentor for your career aspirations and current professional needs, so you can progress to the next level and have a trusted ear and wise advice to count on?
There are several places you can go, online, and in-person, to find a suitable leadership mentor. These can include:
Locations aside, there are three essential criteria that you need to ensure are ticked off your checklist when evaluating and selecting whether your mentor relationship will be a good fit:
Do you feel comfortable with your proposed mentor? Will it be a healthy and understanding working relationship? Are you both easily able to strike up conversation and do you feel comfortable confiding in them? This is an essential first step as you won't experience the full benefits of your mentoring relationship if you don't feel relaxed enough to be transparent so you can obtain the help you need.
Your chosen mentor should have relevant and extensive experience within your industry ideally, and as a leader. This is because they will be able to relate stories from their own experience of their ups and downs, and lessons they've learned. This can prove useful for you so you won't need to repeat the same mistakes they made when they started out in their leadership career.
This is one reason why selecting a mentor from within your company is a bonus, because they likely would have worked there for many years, so they know the ropes—not only of the industry and market—but specifically of your organization.
Communication skills are the essence of successful relationships, and especially is this vital in the case of a mentor/mentee. You should be confident and satisfied that your mentor is able to communicate with you clearly and with empathy, and that they are able to deliver constructive criticism.
They should not be so "nice" that they are afraid of telling you the truth and tend to sugar-coat their advice, but you want to ensure that they always have your best interest at heart, and that they frame their feedback in a way that enables you to grow.
Once you have identified these characteristics in your chosen mentor, reach out to them and ask for their support. You may find in some instances that it is best to obtain the support of a leadership coach, who usually would charge a fee for their sessions with you. In other cases, you might be easily able to identify a successful leader who is willing to lend their time, free of charge, as a mentor.
It's up to you to weigh up your options and decide what works best, not only for your budget, but for your overall leadership goals.
Ultimately, professional development as an aspiring leader is all about pulling from the resources around you, so you can excel and be well-rounded. The best leaders don't just focus on knowing how to lead—they know how to be led.
