Mentor matters!!!

"Momma always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them"-Forrest Gump

The above statement  justifies not only because Forrest Gump was differently abled, anyone irrespective  of any factors influencing them  deserve and require to be explained things in a way they understand.

Irrespective of the power position you hold, you still need a mentor. Few days back I was in a discussion with a senior collegue  on his career lessons and he mentioned that one of the greatest lessons which he learnt was to never think too much all alone.  It's important to bounce one's ideas, thoughts and even insecurities with one's mentor. Mentor acts as a guiding force only, he doesnot play the game for you.

So the relevent question is "How can I find my right mentor?". Even though the relevance of the question cannot be challenged, the question still remains wrong. I feel there cannot be one right mentor in our lives. We need to have multiple mentors as every career has multiple aspects to it. There cannot be just one mentor who can specialize in all aspects of your career.

For example, in your office that super intelligent young lad who champions data analytics can serve as your data analytics mentor, the elderly senior collegue who speaks eloquently can serve as your communication mentor, the quite fellow who exudes maturity can be your job mentor.

Yes! finding multiple mentors might seem tedious but if it seems tedious then maybe you are not in the right place or maybe you do not have the required amount of patience or maybe you are not a keen observer.

A few checks before you choose a mentor:

1.  He  must have great work ethics- A higher designation doesnot qualify him to be your Mentor.  Its higher order of 'work ethics' which is the most basic criteria for choosing a Mentor.
2. He must be a champion in his field- Not only its important that your mentor masters his subject but has the capacity to further contribute in the growth of his area of specialization.
3. He should understand business and more importantly 'life'- He must know when to switch  a journey from heart to mind and from mind to heart.
4.  He must be a keen listener- He should listen to you till you know that you must stop :-P
5. He must have his list of failures- You need a mentor the most when the chips are down. Hence its important he must have bounced back from his failures so that he can help you.
6. He should not give the answers. He must ask the right set of questions till you give the right answers yourself.

Last but not least, he should be a friend in need and a friend indeed :-)

Happy Friendship Day!!!