Having a mentor is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a leader. So, decide today to secure a mentor who will work with you during 2017. Make that one of your New Year’s resolutions.
A mentor can benefit leaders new to their leadership role and they can benefit experienced and seasoned leaders, as well.
A strong mentoring relationship allows the mentor and the mentee to develop new skills and talents, to build confidence, and to build self-awareness.
Proper mentoring takes a commitment from both parties and it takes time to develop and to reap the rewards of the relationship. Plan to work with your mentor for no less than three months, and ideally for six months or longer.
When seeking out a mentor, think about these questions:
1. Will the relationship have good personal chemistry?
2. Can this person guide me, particularly in the areas where I am weakest?
3. Will this person take a genuine interest in me?
4. Does this person have the traits and skills I want to develop?
5. Is this a person I admire?
6. Does this person have the time needed to properly mentor me? And, do I also have the time to devote to a mentoring relationship?
Most often, you’ll find your best mentors are not your supervisors, but instead are other individuals in your workplace, at other companies in your city, or are members of organizations to which you belong.
Before you start to search for your mentor for 2017, take some time to learn more about mentoring — how mentoring programs work most effectively and what to expect from a mentoring relationship.
One nice benefit of having mentoring as a New Year’s resolution is you’ll have a dedicated partner helping you to fulfill your resolution!
