Where are the mentors?

In my 15+ years in tech, I’ve found that one of the hardest things to find is a quality mentor, especially when you are first starting. Someone who is where you want to be, who cares enough about your personal success to give you their time. But how do you hear the stories and learn the lessons if nobody is telling them to you?? You could google it, but watching YouTube videos or reading online articles is a one-sided romance. People want personal connections with other people. We want to ask our questions and get personalized answers from someone who knows a little about us.

But why don’t more experienced professionals give their time to teach others? Well, the easy answer is that they’re busy. Wack. Who isn’t busy. Not a good excuse. Unless you personally enjoy helping people grow, there isn’t a whole lot of incentive to give your time to mentor others. So if you don’t already personally know someone, mentors are hard to find.

Here’s the ironic part. As you grow into more senior leadership positions, one of the most common qualifications is your ability to mentor and grow a team! Especially in fast growing technology companies. And in today’s world, most companies are in some way, shape, or form, a technology company. So again, if mentoring others helps you grow as a leader, where are all the mentors??

I believe mentorship is the most important form of education. When people contact me on LinkedIn, wanting advice, I almost always say yes. Unless, I’m busy. But seriously, mentor more. We move faster and farther when we share our experiences, our wins, and our losses. Connect with me on LinkedIn.