Things to Consider when Choosing a Mentor

Mentors in the industry. What are they? What’s the importance? Are they necessary? The truth of the matter is what you really need, and this is specifically for both employees and employers. What you really need is an internal champion or an external champion who will advocate for you and help promote the brand in spaces where you are not.

When you’re also thinking about mentors, think about what key skill sets are you lacking, or what perspective are you lacking, and how can that person provide you with 360 perspective, or bring you closer to 360 perspective. And when I have a mentor, I want to make sure there are three things.

The first thing, I want to make sure that they have incentive in my success. Don’t choose a mentor who’s a competitor in your exact same space, because they may love you, they may be a good friend, but your success will be their demise. The second thing, and I am baffled by how few people optimize for this, make sure the person actually has experience doing the thing that you are attempting to do.

It shouldn’t just be somebody who’s very loud, very confident, likes to tell you what to do. It should be somebody who’s actually succeeded, they’ve had success in the thing you’re trying to do. If somebody’s been a financial advisor for 10 years, and their average customer is making 5% IRR, do you really want that person to be advising you on your financial future? Probably not.

So make sure one, they have aligned incentives. Two they’ve been in the industry for an extended period. And three, they’ve actually succeeded in the thing that you are seeking to do. That’s how you optimize for the best mentors. Hope that’s helpful. And while you’re looking out for mentors and experts, go to www.ingressivecapital.com now and check out our robust blog filled with a bunch of mentorship sessions, as well as contact Ingressive Capital team members. We are always here to help. Thank you.