Everyone needs someone who helps them up to navigate the trials and troubles of starting a career. If someone provides you with the tools, guidance, support, and feedback with his/her experience or knowledge is your mentor. Anyone can be your career mentor- a friend, family member, friend of a friend, co-worker, boss, seniors, literally anyone who can help you with what you need. Whoever is your current mentor, I am sure they would also have chosen mentors for themselves.
Having a mentor supplements your work and ensure you move in the right direction. They guide you so that you can overcome hurdles on your way to success in your very first attempt. Your mentor acts as a catalyst for the process of you becoming successful. They can do so because they have walked the road you are walking.
The following are the qualities you should look for in your mentor
1. Your Mentor should fit you well
If you are looking for a career mentor, then your mentor should have relevant knowledge and experience for your career, i.e., you should choose your mentor whose expertise is in your field only. The one who went through the same path you are working on. If you choose a successful businessman as your mentor, but you are professionally a doctor, that way, your mentor wouldn’t be able to help you much. The same goes for people in different departments like you shouldn’t have the VP of IT department if you are a sales executive. You need to make sure that your mentor should be 5-7 years ahead of you on the same path so that they can be resourceful.
2. Good Listener
In this hurry-up world, no one listens to anyone properly. Listening is one of the most important things if you are guiding someone. Your mentor can not solve your problems without listening. Because if your mentor is not properly listening to you, they will never know what you are suffering from. Your mentor will be required to put in some effort and energy to listen and talk to you. The crux of it is that they should understand the exact thing you are trying to make them understand.
4. Honest and direct feedback
Feedback helps you to improve as it will reinforce your success while helping you. Every one requires feedback to continue to grow. Your mentor should help you create long-term and short-term objectives for you and give feedback for every session. Your mentor must know when or how to deliver feedback. They should give candid feedback like a mirror if they really want you to grow. Unlike others, which may be shy to tell you the truth on your face, your mentor should be truthful and honest to you no matter what.
5. Invest in others
Mentoring is an investment process, and no one gets any money for doing this. You should find yourself a mentor who can afford to invest their time and energy in you. Discuss a general meeting timetable that both will follow in your day to day schedules. A lot of time, investment is needed to guide someone and prepare them in their field. Gains do not come early, but in some cases, gains actually do not come, so your mentor should be patient in that case. Therefore, before beginning the process, ensure he/she has enough time for you because there are no concrete incentives.
6. Ability to motivate
Everyone has a zone where they feel most comfortable and try to excel in this zone, which is their comfort zone. Your mentor should identify your comfort zone and motivate you to feel comfortable out of your zone also. They should motivate you to do every task and help you build good strategies for your future. They should be like a cheerleader when you are performing.
7. A respectful attitude
Your mentor should realize that he is there to help you and make you feel bad. He/She should not criticize harshly, mistreats you, give you some bad names or even make you uncomfortable, as all of this will bring your productivity down. All these lead to a frustrating partnership, and you will refrain from sharing things with your mentor. Your mentor should have a flexible attitude as he/she should know how and where to change.
