How To Choose A Mentor

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Having a mentor is something that is no longer common these days. One wonders why this unwelcome development is gradually becoming a norm. Does it mean young people are not aspiring to become someone or there are no aspirations? Maybe we don’t know how to choose a mentor. Could it mean we are too ambitious to find someone to fit into our visions or its a silent way to say our elders failed? Before you make conclusions, I think its best we explain mentorship.

Who Is A Mentor?

Well, I will not like to bore you with academic definition or how one dictionary puts it. A mentor is just someone you can plant your footsteps in his own to achieve your goal. Someone who can use his/her experience to guide you through the path till you achieve your goals. This is someone whose principles synchronizes with yours. An individual who can train and advice you to bring your goals and aspirations to manifestation.

Why You Choose A Mentor?

The need for a mentor can not be over emphasized. There are moments the path get though and you need someone who has been there to guide or share their experience so as to make informed decision. There are moments that seem to be the end but its only a mentor that can help to see its a bend. There are times false evidence appears real, only made men/women can tell right from wrong. You need a mentor to boost your courage when failures from trials drains it. You need them to stretch you so as to maximize your skill and potential. If you have not consider having one before now, its time to think it through and get one.

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How To Choose A Mentor

If you have decided to choose a mentor for yourself, its a good step in the right direction. I remember while discussing this with a Brother on campus a decade ago, he was fast to ask me to mentor him. I appreciated the offer but I declined it because of a few things. We were both undergraduate those days and he was older. While these were my reason for rejecting the offer, there were other more pressing factors (to be discussed later) that are quite important. The person who mentors you is a critical factor to determine how far you will go and what you may accomplish.

Factors To Consider To Choose A Mentor

There are four major factors to check out for if you are thinking of making someone your mentor. Before we swing into these three factors there are three important questions you will need to ask yourself and answer them. For each person you think you can make your mentor, answer these questions about them;

Do I believe in his/her personality and achievements?
Can I work with his/her principles and philosophy?
Is he/she someone I can listen to?
If the answer to these questions are negative, it means your search has not ended. If they are positive then you may continue with the three main factors;

Longevity

If anyone will be able to mentor you well enough, he/she must have some wealth of experience in the field you want to be mentored. Experience only comes from doing or being involved. Quality experience will come from a number years which must have afforded the person opportunities to see the good, bad and ugly. With such, the person can help you to make informed decision and take calculated risk through guidance and advice.

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Productivity

If anyone will be a good mentor, he/she must have a good practical knowledge of the field. Not only have head knowledge but must have worked through the thick and thin in field. Someone who can use the knowledge gained through his/her hard work to teach you smart work with the sole purpose of making you better and to achieve more.

Creativity

By creativity, we mean someone with results. You must be able to see what his/her long years of hard work and knowledge has produce. He/she making any mark in the field whether globally or locally. Only creative minds can mentor people in a challenging and innovative way. Such people can reproduce themselves. That’s how new inventions come and people make impact.

Integrity

Integrity means being truthful even in the face of persecution and when no one is there to check you. He/she has to be someone who can tell us something is black and we don’t need people to confirm it. This will tell whether or not their achievements are true. Even if the person meets up with other factors and fail the integrity check, please find someone else to mentor you except you want to get to the top by crooked means.

In conclusion, its high time you seek out someone to mentor you. Irrespective of how large your goals are, there people that help you through. If you have been blessed with this piece, kindly share with friends and loved ones. You may leave comments to share your thoughts.

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