I grew up with the mindset of wanting to do everything on my own and accomplishing all my goals alone. I was stubborn and thought I can run through life without any help or guidance, but I realized very quickly I was dead wrong. In school it was always ingrained in me that to be successful it is imperative to find a good mentor. All of my professors and teachers were spot on when talking about having and utilizing mentors. When I first met my mentor I was not actively searching for one and initially it was a teacher to student relationship, but overtime it became much more. I was lucky and have been blessed to find a mentor that has pushed me beyond my goals and has helped me every step of the way. I would not be where I am today without the help of my mentor.
What qualities make for a great mentor? Whatever field you decide to take or wherever life takes you, a mentor is someone who has been there and done it already. Your mentor does not have to be someone who has the same profession as you, but is someone who can push you to be a better person. In my case my mentor and I are in the same profession so I am going off of my experiences and what I have learned from him. I can’t go over everything that he has taught me because this blog would go on forever, but we’ll talk about some of it. Beyond just the surface teachings of normal business and professionalism, we have deep dived into our personal lives. One of the biggest factors in having a great mentor is how well you can relate with each other and the connection built because of it. This will also build an extreme amount of trust. I have had my mentor for almost three years and a lot of hardships and accomplishments have happened. Through the hardships and accomplishments going on it improved my life so much to have someone to talk to and know that they have been there and receive great advice, as well as keep me grounded. Another trait a great mentor will have is that they will let you fail, but they steer you in the right direction. As I talked about in my blog about failure, it is ok to fail and with the help of a mentor you will be able to learn from the experience. Your mentor knows what failure is and they will always steer you in the right direction. So it is important to trust your mentor because if they have been unsuccessful they will teach you about it so you can take a different direction. The last piece of advice I will give about a great mentor is that they are someone who teaches you how to teach others. You can’t be selfish and take the lessons they gave you for granted, you have to apply and pass it on to other people. Eventually you will become a mentor yourself and you will make as much as an impact on their life as your mentor has made on yours.
Eventually in life you will come to a point where you are someone’s mentor. This can be your own children, colleagues, friends, or a new connection you have made. As a mentor or coach it is your job to make your mentee better than you, do not let your ego get in the way of that. Pass on what has been passed onto you and incorporate your own experiences as well. Even if you only have one mentee you can make a major impact on their life for the better and they can go on to help the future generations as well. Make sure to pass it on and if someone comes to you looking for help go one and help.
Philip Tomeo
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