You’ve determined that you need a mentor. You’ve chosen a good mentor who is willing to take you on as a protégé. So what do you do now? What can you expect to happen? What do the two parties bring to the table? How do things progress? What’s it all look like?
First, consider that most mentors don’t have a specific curriculum or program created in the off chance that someone wants to be mentored. The have knowledge and experience and are able to share the wisdom they have gained. You have potential, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work your hardest to maximize them through the proper application of the mentor’s wisdom.
So to start, you have to know who you are and what you want. This may sound obvious, but many people – especially those who are new in their careers – don’t know what they want. They have had their future plans laid out for them growing up and going to school. Then they start their first job and now … what? Climb the corporate ladder? Get promotions and get more money? Is that all there is? If you are in this spot, you may want to hire a life coach to help you get some direction before to take on a mentor.
You need to be able to clearly communicate what you want to achieve:
- By this time next year, I want to be a manager
- In the next five years I will have a successful consultant business making $200,000 annually
- By the end of this year I want to be an official committer on my favorite open source project
- In the next three years I will be working for one of the FAANG companies
Clear, concise goals will make it easy for your mentor to give you guidance. Remember, you want to value their time, so don’t just show up and expect them to do all the work. And if you are given an assignment, do it immediately! To the best of your ability! If you are told to read a book, order it right then as you are talking. Then complete it within the next few days at most. Take notes while you read and have them ready to share at your next meeting. “I forgot” or “I got busy” will work once – maybe twice. After that, any legitimate mentor will see that you are not serious and suggest you come back when you are. (Hint: if that happens, you can bet they’ll be too busy to work with you later!)
You may be asked to buy a tool, go on an interview, go to a conference, prepare a presentation, write a computer program, or dozens of other things that can help you move ahead. The temptation is that, since you’re not being paid to do it, you can get away with just doing the minimum. Don’t fall into that trap! If you really want to move ahead, you need to work at least as hard outside of work as you do at your daily job. Yes, it can be tiring. Yes, no one will notice and you won’t be rewarded. Initially. The rewards will come later.
The bottom line is that, when you decide to take on a mentor, you are taking full responsibility for the trajectory of your career and life. Doing the minimum will get minimum results and waste everyone’s time. A mentor takes you on because they see great potential in you – often times potential that you don’t see in yourself. Step up. Do your best. Make the most of every opportunity. The small decisions you make now will have a huge effect on where you find yourself years down the road. Working effectively with a good mentor will change your life in ways that you cannot now imagine! Take a chance on making your career – and your life – an amazing adventure!