5 Keys to Great Mentors
What mentors must have in order to help you:
- Have your best interest in mind. The mentors that you select must have your best interest in mind. This may seem obvious but is not always the case. Your mentors must truly value you as a person and want you to succeed. Your mentors must want to give you wings that let you fly free on your own terms in your own time frame.
- Not have an alternate motive for self gain, at your expense. You must have a win-win relationship where you both gain. Your mentor must not provide conditional assistance which would limit your growth to not surpass the mentor’s abilities. Your mentor should want you to be the best you can possibly be and want you to surpass their capabilities and accomplishments.
- Have already achieved or helped others achieve what you desire. Your mentor must be a person that is either living what you want to live, lived what you desire to live, or coached others successfully on how to live the way that you want to live. A mentor who hasn’t walked in the shoes that you desire to walk in or helped others achieve their dreams will not be able to get you where you want to go.
- Exhibit integrity in all of their actions in life. If your mentor only does what is right, when it is convenient, then you will learn other shortcuts that could lead to a dead end, and other problems, instead of true happiness and success.
- Be honest with you about both your strengths and weaknesses. If your mentor only tells you what you want to hear instead of what you “need” to hear, then the mentor will not be doing you any favors. A good example of this was an episode of the reality show, So You Think You Can Dance? One of the contestants brought his mother, who said he was great. Was he really great? Mom convinced this guy that he was great, and the supposed dancer said as much to America. When it was time for this contestant to strut his stuff, it was evident that he had never danced in public, ever. Forget the fact that he had never had any formal dance training, he had no rhythm or skill whatsoever.
When you are fortunate enough to have a mentor or role model in your life, whether it’s for a short time (in the form of a boss or coach), or for your whole life (in the form of parents or a spouse), the key is to respect that person and have an open mind, heart, and spirit.
Live, Learn and Pass it On!
Tags: Personal Development, self-help