How to Find a Business Mentor

I came across an interesting article on a website for Joan Reynolds, who has been in the real estate business for 30 years. The title of the article that caught my eye was: How to Find a Business Mentor in 5 Easy Steps. Sounds interesting right?
 

What is a mentor?
A mentor is essentially someone who has more experience in business than you. A mentor can help you navigate the difficult waters of starting a business, owning a business, business strategy, and everything in between. For an entrepreneur, a mentor can give advice, provide networking connections, or simply be a friend when things get rough.

Why is it important to have a mentor?
For your own sanity and the health of your business, investing both your time and thoughts into a mentor relationship can be worthwhile. Remember, a mentor is someone who is essentially a soundboard; a person who you talk to about those important decisions before you make them; someone who wants you to succeed and does whatever they can to help you achieve your goals; and encourages you to pursue your goals while advising ways to avoid conflict or friction. 

The article on Joan's site goes on further to describe five easy steps to find the perfect mentor. We've just highlighted them here, but encourage you to read the entire article at:  http://www.wingwire.com/comments/Reynolds2863/null/68460  

Step 1: Reach out to your family and friends for advice ... (a fine place to start)  
Step 2: Strive to make connections beyond just family and friends, even using social media (a great idea) ...
 
Step 3: Look out of the box when searching for the perfect mentor ... (some good suggestions here) ...
 
Step 4: Once you’ve chosen a potential mentor, ... schedule a time to meet with them. (useful suggestions listed here) ...
 
Step 5: Once you’ve become acquainted with your potential mentor ... (good suggestions on how to bring up the subject of their potential mentoring you) ... 

QUESTION: How would you recommend approaching a potential Mentor?

Mentoring: How to Be an Effective Mentor

In having worked with a number of people who have either been Mentors or Mentees, I've noticed that there is almost always interest in improving the quality of the relationship. That's one of the things that we address in the dozens of video interviews that we've done over that years ... in asking how these individuals feel that the quality of the relationship could be improved.

Side Note: While many of our video interviews would be helpful, here is one that features a good friend of mine, who recently retired after many years of effectively working with both Mentors and Mentees in a government organization ... Please click on his name to view the video of my friend, GLYNN WILLIAMS.

For those who are acting in the role of the Mentor, here is a portion of a longer article that can be found on the Website for the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) -  the provincial gateway to help Albertans plan and achieve educational and career success! It provides information for career planning, post-secondary education and training, educational funding, job search, labour market trends, and workplace issues

Over the years, I've had opportunity to refer many people to this site for career related information. It's a great resource that is worthy of further exploration.

Mentoring: How to Be an Effective Mentor

At some point in your career, you may be asked to become a mentor. If you’ve benefited from a good relationship with a mentor, you know that mentoring can make a positive difference in a person’s career.

You could be approached either by someone seeking a mentor (known as a mentee or protege) or through your organization’s mentoring program.

As a result, you might be asking yourself if you have what it takes to be an effective mentor.

What is mentoring?

Mentors are experienced, trusted advisors or counsellors who have successful careers and proven track records. As a mentor, you make a commitment to support and encourage your mentees as they pursue their career goals. Mentors are not usually paid for their services.

We also encourage you to read the entire ALIS article which can be found at:

http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/eps/tips/tips.html?EK=12433