4 Steps to Building a Successful Career
How to optimize mentor relationships while steering clear of common stumbling blocks.
Propelling your career with mentors and sponsors is a powerful yet often overlooked strategy for building the career of your dreams. Women make up nearly half of the workforce, yet 63 percent of women say they’ve never had a formal mentor, according to research firm DDI.
Mentoring and sponsoring require us to take action. To effectively manage your career, consider striving to have not just one mentor but a “Personal Board of Directors,” or multiple mentors offering various perspectives as you build your career and accomplish your goals.
Research shows that having mentors can have a profound impact on the upward mobility of your career. In fact, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which compiled data from 27 studies done over the course of eight years, most research concluded that having a mentor helped women professionals advance their careers through goal-oriented guidance and supportive advice. This included providing structure for career planning and helping develop skills necessary for success.
To cultivate these relationships effectively, it is critical to have a strategy. Building your mentoring process can be accomplished by following the four steps below.
Step 1: Get clear on your goals.
Don’t take yourself out of the game before the game has even started. This is a critical first step to help you determine the type of mentor that will help you the most. Think about your life and career and what you want to accomplish with your career or business growth. Once you become clear on your goals, the types of mentoring relationships you might need will be more straightforward.
Step 2: Consider the types of mentoring to help accomplish your goals.
Now that you have established your goals, think about the skills you will need to develop in order to achieve those goals. For instance, if I said in Step 1 that I want to move up in my company and take on more responsibilities or scale the growth of my business, I may determine I need to work on my negotiation skills, improve my executive presence, or develop other skills the “future me” will need in order to be successful.
Topic-based mentoring is a powerful and efficient way to hone the skills you want to develop while building a relationship. In addition, it is helpful to connect to mentors who occupy the roles you would like to have in the future. There is nothing more powerful than connecting with someone who has been there, done that, and done it successfully.
Step 3: Identify possible mentors.
Now that you have established your goals and determined why you need a mentor and what you are hoping to learn, you can start to make a list of possible mentors. Hopefully, some people immediately come to mind. If not, LinkedIn or trade industry associations can be a great resource to help you identify people with the skill types and experiences you are seeking. You might also think of others in your circle who are well-connected and willing to make warm introductions. Use as many avenues as you can to come up with a list.
Step 4: Connect to set up a time to meet prospective mentors.
Now that you have your list of prospective mentors, it is time to reach out. If you are not a part of a formal program, I don’t recommend asking someone to mentor you the first time you meet them or even in your request for the meeting. The word “mentor” can be intimidating. Instead, simply reach out to the individuals on the list you created and see if they would be willing to meet with you to share their perspectives. You will find most people are eager to help. In your outreach, you may say you are impressed by their background and mention some of the goals you are working on and ask if they would be willing to meet for coffee or on Zoom to share their perspective and experience. Keep in mind many mentoring relationships not part of a formal program are cultivated without ever being labeled with the formal term of mentoring.
In cultivating your new mentoring relationships, often referred to as your personal board of directors, it is important to avoid these common pitfalls:
Being unprepared. If you are seeking out this relationship in the hopes of learning, it is important to do your homework in advance. Learn about your prospective mentor ahead of time. Prepare good questions. Be willing to share your work and how you envision how a mentor can help. This will ensure the conversation is effective and productive.
Failing to follow through on commitments. When you meet with a mentor, they may make suggestions, which could include books, articles, steps to take to help you achieve your goals, etc. To thrive as a mentee, it is important you follow through on these commitments.
Rushing the relationship. Remember, mentoring relationships can take time. Allow the relationship to develop. Always express appreciation and look for ways you can reciprocate the help you receive.
Interested in Alison’s book Learning To Lead Through Mentoring click on the button below!
If you are a business owner, the power of a strong network and personal board of directors cannot be overstated. Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed and will work with you to build a structured path toward your goals. In the end, knowing your objectives, understanding what relationships you need, and establishing those connections will further your path toward personal and professional success. By also serving as a mentor, you will grow your leadership capacity and help pave the way for future talent and help to make the world a better place.
