ACE Magazine: Issue 2 / 2016 ACE Magazine: Issue 2 / 2016 | Page 48

ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEARNING How To Find & Utilise A Mentor BY TRENT HAMM 7 TACTICS FOR FINDING A MENTOR W hat exactly is a mentor? It’s a term often bandied around in business books, but it’s often not looked at outside of this context. A mentor is any person who can help guide you to the goals you desire through example and discussion. You can have a parenting mentor just as easily as you can have a business mentor. You can have a blogging mentor, a golfing mentor, or a chess mentor. Whatever it is you want to succeed at, you can likely find a mentor who will help you get there. What can a mentor provide? The key thing that a mentor provides is advice. They’re a person that can provide suggestions based on their own experience that will point you towards the success that you want. 46 MEET PEOPLE IN YOUR WORKPLACE: Not only will you have a better chance of discovering good potential mentors within the organisation you work in, you’ll also build up valuable relationships for your own ends. Plus, you’re much more likely to have a person or two in common with the person you want to be your mentor. 1 MEET PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY: Similarly, if you’re looking for mentors in nonprofessional areas, look around your community. Get involved in interest groups related to what you’re engaged in and volunteer within those organisations. Another tactic is to simply find people who write for niche publications in your area of interest, as well as people who blog on that topic – you can at least be sure of their passion in the area. 2 3 ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS | ISSUE 2 : 2016 MEET PEOPLE IN YOUR INDUSTRY: If you’re simply looking to excel within a particular industry, attend conferences. There are few better places to meet people within your industry than a trade conference. You should also make an effort to follow trade publications within your field and contact interesting authors. IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE: As you meet more and more people and get more involved, you’ll probably start to realise what levels of success you want to achieve, particularly in the shorter term. Look for the people who have already achieved that level for potential mentors. 4 DON’T GO OVER YOUR HEAD: If you’re a newly minted MBA, don’t go try to swing Jack Welch (former chairman and CEO of General Electric) as your mentor – you’re wasting your time. Instead, look for people who are a few levels up the chain. Don’t burn your time trying to get a mentor too far up the chain – work your way up there. 5