Looking for A Mentor? Avoid These Common Mistakes When Finding One

By Moon Harper

Mar 19, 2024 03:12 AM EDT

According to a 2019 CNBC and SurveyMonkey, 91% of employees who have mentors express satisfaction and happiness with their jobs.

The Importance of Having a Mentor

Mentors are crucial in advising on navigating career advancement and the corporate ladder. 71% of employees with mentors rate their company's career advancement opportunities as excellent, whereas only 47% of those without mentors share the same. Having a mentor who understands the organization's ins and outs can significantly benefit individuals aiming for promotions or seeking additional responsibilities.

Common Mistakes When Finding a Mentor

However, suppose you are having challenges finding one. In that case, Thema Bryant, President of the American Psychological Association and Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University, suggests that it might be because you have been approaching the wrong individual.

Seeking The Highest-Ranking Person in The Room

People often seek the highest-ranking person in a field as a mentor, who, according to Bryant, may have less time to dedicate compared to someone in a mid-level position.

Most senior individuals in your company may be unable to accommodate mentorship if you require quick email responses or frequent meetings. Instead, consider reaching out to someone at a more junior level or seek guidance from multiple sources to avoid relying heavily on just one person.

Dismissing A Potential Mentor Who Does Not Hit The Checkmarks

Bryant advises against dismissing a potential mentor solely because they don't meet all the criteria. Even if their career path does not precisely align with yours, they could still offer valuable guidance. Additionally, there is no need to restrict yourself to just one mentor.

While some mentors take a strict business-oriented approach, offering valuable insights but lacking emotional support, others excel in providing emotional guidance but may not offer the same level of business strategy. Both forms of mentorship have merits and can be beneficial.

Limiting to One Mentor Only

Bryant suggests that seeking mentorship outside your workplace can offer a balanced perspective. Having one mentor within the office provides insight into its dynamics, while an external mentor offers a different, grounding viewpoint. Bryant highlights that external mentors may notice aspects of the workplace that you overlook due to familiarity. Overall, considering both perspectives can be valuable.

Cold-Messaging Someone for Mentorship

During CNBC's Make It: Your Money virtual event, Matt Higgins shared his top advice for finding a highly successful mentor: Avoid asking anyone directly to mentor you.

The Shark Tank investor and RSE Ventures CEO disliked receiving cold messages with mentorship requests, emphasizing that mentorships do not typically develop between strangers.

Higgins pointed out that soliciting mentorship from a stranger could appear pushy and transactional. He advised that if you have someone in mind whom you would like to have as a mentor, initiate contact with a specific question seeking advice. This method allows you to begin forming a relationship that could potentially evolve into a mentorship in the future.

According to Higgins, setting aside ego and seeking assistance should not be viewed as embarrassing. Although he admits he was not always comfortable with it, he has accepted the idea of reaching out and explaining his goals by directly messaging individuals.