One of the best things you can do to grow as a leader is to find a mentor. Essentially, A mentor is someone older or more experienced that can advise someone younger or less experienced than they are.
When you think about a mentor, you might think about the image of the wise old man who secludes himself from the rest of the world. An example of this is Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. As the mentee, Luke Skywalker has to travel far and spend a prolonged time training until his mentor deems him ready.
While this is the image many people have when they think of mentorship, I have concluded that finding a mentor can be much more simple than that. I want to share the four steps I have used to find mentors.
Step #1: Identify. The first step is to identify. Look for someone in your community, workplace, or church that is doing what you want to do. If you want to be an author, find someone who has published books. If you want to start a business, find someone who runs a successful business. Whatever it is that you want to do, find someone who has been doing that for a while and who is doing it well.
Step #2: Invite. The second step is invite. Once you’ve identified someone who is doing what you want to do, ask them if you can treat them to coffee. Essentially, you want to initiate a relationship with this person. You can’t be mentored by someone you don’t have a relationship with. If they decline, return to step #1; if they accept, then proceed to step #3.
Step #3: Inquire. The third step is inquire. When you take this person to coffee, ask them questions. This is way cheaper than a college course. They’ll also be able to tell you what shortcuts to take and mistakes to avoid. During your time together, be sure to ask them what is awesome about what they do as well as what sucks about what they do. This will help give you a balanced view of the work you want to do.
Step #4: Invest. The fourth and final step is invest. You don’t want your coffee date to be a one-and-done hangout. You will want to continue to invest time in that relationship. So be sure to connect with them regularly to see how they’re doing and what they’re up to. This will also give you the continued opportunity to talk shop and ask questions.
Proverbs 13:20a reads, “Walk with the wise and become wise…” (NLT). This verse is a great Biblical example of why mentorship is an essential part of leadership.
And here’s the thing: mentorship is cyclical. Just as you are now the mentee, one day someone will identify you as a mentor.
Application Questions:
- Who is someone that has mentored you?
- What is something that they taught you that has impacted your leadership?
- How can you take what you learned from your mentor and teach it to someone else?
Watch the accompanying video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wbH5uuVYS54
Nick Chellsen 
One thought on “4 Simple Steps to Finding a Mentor”