What is a leader? How do you know they care? What do you look for in a mentor? How do you define mentor?

You might not necessarily have sat down and thought about, How do I define Mentor?Most of you would be able to quickly step up and say the qualities you do NOT want in a mentor.I can think of several…selfish, visionless, dishonest…the list goes on.

Have you gone through periods in your life where you have had no guidance or mentorship? I have, in fact the first 5 years of my career I didn’t even know the value of a mentor, let alone be able to define mentor. How was I to find people out there like me, but with years of experience to pull from and learn?

It’s funny to look back at my first couple jobs out of college and the decisions I made and the employees I ignorantly led.

Now I’m at a point where I see the value in not only allowing someone to mentor me and be coachable, but in wanting to be a mentor to others. I want to be someone others seek to learn from and follow. What a compliment. What a responsibility and what an accomplishment.

So, after much thought and reflection, this is how I define mentor and how I know that a leader truly cares.

• Do they seek to know and understand your strengths and weaknesses and be committed to helping you maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in pursuit of your goals? Some of this you may not realize they are doing…in some cases they will ask you directly.
• Do they engage with you regularly and inspire you to perform at your best?
• Do they show gratitude and appreciation of your efforts?
• Do they seek your feedback, ideas, inputs and truly listen and use in decision making?
• Do they have a way of seeing the best in you and have a way of helping you see that in yourself?
• Does your interaction with them consistently make you a better person?
• Do you trust them completely and feel confident they have no ulterior motives?
• Do they treat you well and make you feel special?

*Disclaimer-Everyone has a different vision, goals and personality. If you don’t like how I define mentor, find your own criteria! I challenge you. You won’t be sorry. 

I’ve heard comments like, “She doesn’t even know my kids names.” or “He missed my birthday.” Knowing family names and specific dates is certainly important to some and can be a way to gain an understanding of what’s going in others lives. However, if you answered yes to some of the above bullets, than I am confident your leader cares. If you answered yes, chances are that your leader has already invested a great deal of time in you. They are committed to understanding you as a person for the sole purpose of helping you achieve your business and life goals. They care about you.

So think about how you would define mentor. Think about who this person(s) is to you and how you can learn from their strengths. Keep in mind the obvious, not everyone is perfect and this list is pretty steep, but people care in different ways. Appreciate those for who they are and want their ultimate goal is, helping you.

Here is my business mentor, Donna Stewart. She’s not perfect, sorry Donna, lol! But she is real and she has been in so many business situations, good and bad, learned a ton and I am so thankful to pull from her 13 years experience in running a business from her house.

What words would you use to define the word ‘mentor’? Heck, who is your mentor? Share! I would love to know who you learn from and what experience is helping you get to where you want to be.

Define Mentor…

To Your Success,

Heather

www.HeatherCalhoun.com