Why You Need A Mentor To Succeed

You are young, possessing many dreams and aspirations for your immediate and long-term future. Great potential lies within you to achieve these dreams and goals that you have. There is only one problem: you don’t know where to start. What is the solution to your problem? Find yourself a mentor.

A mentor is someone who has accomplished some level of success in life and career. A good mentor will take you under his or her wing, guiding you and advising you as you transform your fledgling goals from dreams to reality.

Finding a good mentor who will invest in your long-term future and offer constructive criticism is quite an undertaking so here are some suggestions to make the process a little easier.

1. Find someone from your secondary school, college or university who became successful and who may be willing to build a relationship with you and be your mentor. From the start, be open about your desire for them to be your mentor due to the respect and admiration you hold for them.

2. There are some organizations that offer mentorship programmes for young people. These include youth groups, community colleges, Barbados Youth Business Trust (BYBT), and Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES). Joining such organizations would not only be good for your career but in terms of forming a long-term mentor-protégé relationship.

3. Think about what you want to accomplish and learn, and choose the person best suited to teach you along those lines.

4. It may not be a good idea to choose your direct boss or supervisor as you want a mentor whom you can be open with and talk freely with about work or school issues and career aspirations.

What to look for in a mentor

1. Accomplishment – This does not necessarily mean age. However, age usually acts as a measurement of experience. More importantly, look for someone accomplished in your field who can teach you from their mistakes and successes. If a mentor can see a bit of himself in you he is more likely to invest in your development

2. Availability – It is one thing to have a hugely successful mentor. However, if that person is not available to interact with you so that you can learn and glean from him or her then he or she is of no use to you.

3. Character – Look for someone whose character is impeccable. You want someone who is respectable, admirable and has solid values.

4. Openness – You want someone who is open and honest with you and encourages those same traits in you. This builds credibility and trust in the relationship.

5. Belief – This person has to believe in you and your potential. They have to believe that you are able to reach or even exceed your potential.

There are several benefits to having a mentor such as improved self-confidence and increased motivation. Having a mentor gives you the confidence that you will achieve your dreams and objectives. A mentor who you admire helps show you the steps on the road to fulfilling the potential you possess.

Therefore, it is not only advisable but essential that young people get at least one mentor to help guide us toward our dreams.