You may have already read numerous accounts of how people achieve success in life. From cliché quotes to rags-to-riches narratives that share certain ‘success ingredients’, there seems to be a never-ending list of positive attributes or key principles that successful people ascribe to.
You may have also noticed that most of the literature on rules of success delves on moral lessons: “10% inspiration, 90% perspiration,” “What the mind conceives, it achieves,” “No pain, no gain," and other cheesy quotations that accomplished people flaunt like flashcards to students. Given the focus on the self and what we can each achieve through the cultivation of winning habits, we sometimes forget the power of the right influence and guidance in our journey to success. Yes, we’re talking about that special ingredient, or rather, crucial persons: mentors.
For sure, you have had a couple of mentors whom you look up to or regularly seek counsel from because of their extensive knowledge of their craft and quotable wisdom in life. In business, one rarely starts a company without first having received helpful advice. You may think that you have what it takes to become a remarkable businessman (and you could be right!), but a person never builds a corporation alone. It’s with a mentor that you receive applicable insights, are steered in the right direction and enjoy a shorter learning curve. Remember, the right mentorship in your professional journey can make all the difference. Here are the things you should look out for in a great mentor.
A Mentor Should be Credible
A proficient mentor is prolific on life experiences, giving them added credibility within their field. It would make sense to conduct a little research on your mentor's background, achievements, and specialties. If you want to excel in business, then you would choose a mentor who has significant accomplishments in aspects like sales marketing and entrepreneurship.
You might even want to check on the kinds of projects spearheaded or managed by your mentor over their professional career, and perhaps, even the social issues they take up and the initiatives that have been introduced to forward these special causes. This will give you a better picture of the skill sets your mentor can transfer to you, while also making sure that your interests and values are aligned – this will help you grow in the most holistic way.
A Mentor Should Help You Save Time, Energy, and Money
SYSTEM stands for "Save Yourself Time, Energy, and Money". This applies to mentorship in that a good mentor should be able to continually provide you with strategies on time management, keep you motivated and on the right track, help you minimise setbacks and reduce unnecessary losses. While a mentor’s job isn’t to spoon-feed, they will be able to help ease the process of creating a blueprint that you can refer to and build on as you work towards achieving your goals.
A Mentor Should Produces Results
This is related to credibility because it mostly deals with your mentor’s real achievements. Many wannabe mentors are smooth talkers and can’t be trusted that easily. Probe deeper for tangible evidence of success such as accolades or recognition from reputable sources, published works, or good feedback from other people. It’s not difficult to see how a mentor that produces results can probably help you to replicate similar successes as well. No doubt, your mentor can play a big part in defining your future, so seek one that has proven themselves and importantly, is someone who speaks to you.
There are many ingredients in a traditional recipe, but the reason behind its rich flavour may just lie on one particular ingredient. In the case of achieving a successful professional life, a mentor will be that special ingredient.
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