In a recent episode of Let’s Fix Work, I shared that one of my biggest professional regrets in the world of HR was not having a mentor. As I’ve learned through the many emails I receive and the feedback I get from listeners of my podcast, I am not alone. Many of you don’t have mentors either, but want to know how to find one.
Some of the common questions I get asked are:
How does one find a mentor?
What makes a good mentor?
And in the world of self-help, what’s the difference between a mentor and a coach?
Well, Mike Sipple, Jr., a mentor to mentors and President of Centennial, Inc., joined me on the podcast to talk all about the art of mentoring.
Today, I want to share three steps to finding a mentor, with tips and insights gleaned from my time with Mike.
First things first, how do you know when it’s time to find a mentor?
Well, as Mike explains it, “Life is not a solo sport. If you feel like you’re the only one, like you’re by yourself, that it is a solo sport and no one understands, now is a wonderful time to seek out a mentor.”
With self-help and personal development taking up so much space in the world today, you may have people telling you it’s time to get a life coach.
But do you need a mentor or a coach? And what is the difference?
A mentor is someone who will offer their guidance and wisdom to you. Whereas a coach is someone who is going to help you work through a particular process. So if you are looking for some direction from someone in your field or in a field you want to be in, a mentor may be for you. If you have a plan you need help executing, a coach may be the answer.
Now that you have that all down and have determined a mentor is for you, how do you find one and then proceed to ask them to be your mentor?
Part of finding a mentor is identifying that person that you want to learn from. There’s something about the energy… the passion… the experiences they’ve had in the past that you can benefit from today. I think that’s a person you can step in and learn from. And you can simply say, “Hey, I’d love to spend time with you.”
If you want to raise your game as a worker, as a leader, as a human being or maybe, as a mentor, head on over here to listen to my conversation with Mike Sipple, Jr.