Most of us need mentors–positive role models to learn from, share life concerns and help us stay on a path that matters to us.
They can help us learn a new skill, find our voice, support our ideas, diminish a concern, focus on a purpose or provide the opportunity. A mentor might also motivate us to go further or explore possibilities that we may not have thought of.
People of all ages can benefit from having a mentor in such areas as expanding their network or providing expertise or new ideas. Have you ever heard someone say “I need a kid to teach me how to use my cell phone or play a video game.”
Many people benefit from including more than one mentor in their life, seeking different people to fill different needs. That describes “multiple mentors,” a term that has gained in popularity in recent years. For example, one might seek a technology mentor to help set up a Zoom account or a handy person to assemble a piece of furniture.
Try this exercise to personalize the concept.
Consider setting up an “advisory board” to serve as your personal consultants. Decide the areas where you need to focus such as public speaking or managing finances. Draw a table on a piece of paper…it can be any shape or size depending on how many “consultants” you want to consider. Around the table seat experts to contact, who will expand the knowledge you are seeking in as many areas as you choose. The people you choose to be one of your advisors should be clear, caring and truthful (and provide potentially difficult feedback in a way that you can hear it and not close down).
Now it is your opportunity to reach out to these individuals and invite them to serve on your advisory board.
Consider this option on the flipside. Perhaps you can serve as a mentor to someone else and help them focus on their purpose. It can be worthwhile and rewarding to stay open to others who need information or expertise that you can provide.
Given the complexity of the world today and the blistering pace of change, it is in everyone’s best interest to recognize when we need a mentor to stay on purpose and to share the talents we possess helping others do the same.