4 Ways Women Can Find (And Keep) an Exceptional Mentor

Finding the right mentor to seek guidance from will take your career to a whole new level.

How Mentors Can Make You More Successful

We've all heard the statistics before. In many leadership positions, women are a rarity. For instance, only 20 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Women hold only 14 percent of executive positions and just 16 percent of board seats.

Just Ask

People are often genuinely happy to help you navigate the twists and turns as you develop in your career. After all, they've been there. But in today's busy world, you can't expect them to seek you out. According to Development Dimensions International, "It isn't because they aren't willing to mentor; it's that they are not being asked." In fact, they found that a majority of women had only been asked once or twice, and one-fifth of women had never been asked.

Speaking as someone who has greatly benefitted (and still benefits!) from mentorship, being in a position now to give back to a new generation is very rewarding, and it's one that I welcome with open arms.

Don't Limit Yourself

Furthermore, no one said you're limited to one mentor. Seek out many peoples' genius zones and offer yours in return. The greatest learning opportunities can come from the most unexpected places.

Give and Get

The best way to network--mentorship or otherwise--is to give before you get. In his book Give and Take, Wharton professor Adam Grant categorizes master networkers as "givers," and he's found they build much stronger and more fruitful relationships than those who see professional connections as a zero-sum game.

So offer your unique advantages when you're learning from others. It's not only a good life practice, but I've found that for everything you give, you get back tenfold. Plus, by seeing an outsider's perspective on your own knowledge, you'll gain some unexpected insights.

Be Very Open to Feedback

The biggest reason for getting a mentor is to find areas you can improve in, and see what you might be doing wrong. It goes without saying that this won't happen if a mentor is scared to provide any guidance. I get it: feedback is personal--especially if it involves your career track or success.

Thank you to the Young Entrepreneurial Council for writing the full article available at Inc.com

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