My direct supervisor in my day job over the past five years has shepherded my growth, pushed me to perform, encouraged my development as a manager, and consistently urged me to speak up and step up. My parents never fail to remind me to try harder and dream bigger, and my husband quietly and consistently supports every new initiative I want to explore. I look to one friend for writing advice when I need editorial insights on a particular story. And I have peers who I check in with regarding career skills and compensation trajectories as a whole. The point is that I don’t have just one person to mentor me, and the older I get, the more I realize the benefits of casting a wide net.
Likewise, career coach Kathy Caprino recommends viewing the people you’re already working with as potential mentors, rather than trying to “find” one. She suggests keeping three things in mind:
1. Who already knows how you communicate and contribute?
2. Who trusts you?
3. Who is likely to believe you’ll put their feedback to good use?
You’re looking to build upon an existing relationship, because that’ll give the potential mentor in question more of a reason to invest her time and energy in helping you succeed. Mentors don’t have to be coworkers or leaders at work, either; they can be friends, family, or people you know through sidebar activities or community organizations or volunteer week. You can learn and grow from really anyone, so instead of trying to build a mentor relationship from scratch, start with who you know.
TRY THIS
Ask a few people in your network if they have a mentor, how that relationship came about, and what they’ve learned from the experience. Those takeaways might be useful later on as you try to establish a connection with a potential mentor.