Get a mentor now....

One of the things one should surely do is get a mentor. Remember, you need not have one mentor, but multiple mentor. The critical thing why you need a mentor is to show you the 'bigger picture'. Sometimes you get so engrossed in what you are doing, you lose focus of what it is that you set out in the first place for. So where all should you get yourself a mentor -

1. Life mentor - A person who will straddle your personal life and career and helps you articulate what you see yourself to be when you are maybe 45 and have hopefully higher callings in life and not just that big house, corner office, faster car, smaller phone and snazzier gadget

2. Career mentor - One who will help you move towards a long term goal in your career. The assumption here is that your current job is a step towards it and not the one which will lead you there. This applies more to the MBA friends I have who are chasing larger goals and are using the current job to get a skill set - E.g. - I come from a family with no business background, so I might join a startup to understand how they work if I want to startup on my own. But my mentor needs to be one who has done similar things and has started up

3. Job mentor - This person serves the need of the hour and helps you acquire the skills in the current job and helps you move through the organizational clutter. This person need not necessarily be from the same company, but from the same field

So where do you look for a mentor? - in the networks that you have built over a period of time. If you are the type who does not network, ask friends to refer you. Don't expect a high level of involvement from the mentor straight away. Most probably the person will evaluate you before he decides to spend his time where all you offer in return is the feeling of reminding him/her of what he/she was in a younger time.

Remember to do your home work when you approach a mentor, a mentor is not for cribbing but to act as a sounding board. Define your objectives, look at the problem, generate options, do an analysis of the pros and cons and then approach your mentor for advice. Trust me this is important in your own development. Acknowledge the impact mentors have had on you when you succeed, that's the best you can give them.

Make sure your mentor understands your life situation, goals and ambitions ( this is for the first class of mentor i specified) and job, career respectively. Don't hide what you think are the mistake you made, your weakness and strengths. After all they need to help you climb mountains. Respect their time, the effort they are putting in. You maybe a hotshot and the next Bill Gates but this person is fulfilling a purpose.

Some mentor/ mentee relationships quickly move to a co-learning level. Offer what your best, that is what will change the perspective you have about life/ career/ job from what your peers will have.

I have had some fantastic mentors, I can just pick the phone, tell them the mess I am in and they are there to offer me support. I can share my achievements and see the happiness and be thrilled. I have very little to offer to some of them, but hope some day I can pass this along...