Your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Lender: How to Catch and KEEP a Professional Mentor

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

How to Catch and KEEP a Professional Mentor

Getting a mentor isn't only a smart way to learn, it can be a fast track to knowledge and experience in just about any endeavor you can imagine. With a great mentor, doors otherwise locked to you can swing wide open and shorten your path to success by many years.

If you're looking for a mentor, here are some things to remember:

Deciding if you need a mentor is mainly a matter of knowing what you want to achieve most and the general direction you'd like to take. Stay open-minded if your mentor recommends another direction, but your objective should be the main goal. Consider carefully what you want the mentor to provide and how often you'd like to meet.
Make a list of potential mentors, follow them on Twitter or other social media and notice any potential personality conflicts. Aim as high up the ladder as you can–even someone you think is out of reach, too rich, or too famous may have an opening for an assistant. Use LinkedIn and Google to find candidates.
Write a letter of introduction and sign it by hand. Don't introduce yourself by email. If you want to make absolutely sure your message gets to your prospective mentor send it FedEx Overnight.
If you get a YES then arrange to meet as soon as it's convenient. And if the first meeting goes well, arrange for next steps.

Watch out for unintentional bad advice that can stall your progress. A recent Harvard Business Review article shares the most common ways a mentor's advice can go wrong, including:

Reacting unfavorably if you take a side-path the mentor has not taken.
Choices you make that affect your mentor negatively in a material way, say financially, that could alter otherwise sound advice.
Taking advice from someone with dissimilar tolerances for risk than you.
Knowing more than your mentor about certain things–take it into account before accepting advice wholesale.
Try to add value to your mentor making the relationship mutually beneficial. When you "arrive" don't forget to show appreciation to the people who helped you along the way.

I hope that this information helps you in your field of business. I believe that a person becomes successful by continually LEARNING and Mentors are a great way to learn from "real experience/" Feel free to pass these tips along to your team, clients, and colleagues!

I would love the opportunity to help you manage your Lake of the Ozarks Mortgage Loan or refinance. Give me a call at (573) 746-7211 or send me an email at mlasson@fsbfinancial.com with any questions you may have!!