Mentorship - Are You Paying It Forward or Seeking Guidance?
Words can lose their meaning when they're overused. "Mentorship" often sounds formal: seek a mentor, vet them, request their mentorship, set up regular meetings, and make their time meaningful. Sure, it can be that, but it can also be more informal. Imagine you’re at a bar after a day of mountain biking, chatting with someone who’s knowledgeable in an area you’re trying to figure out. By the end of the night, you exchange contact information and agree to continue the conversation. That’s mentorship too. Whether you call it networking, mentorship, or advice, what matters is how you leverage this tool. And it definitely matters.
Mentorship as a strategic tool has become crucial in the VC and startup worlds. Top VCs focus on building strong networks of mentors for their founders because the more support they offer, the higher the chances of startup success. Founders, often transitioning from technical roles to running companies, must understand their gaps and seek guidance. Smart people seek mentorship, and it works. Maximizing how you leverage this tool can significantly impact your success. Whether you’re a 16-year-old athlete or a 38-year-old startup CEO, leveraging mentorship effectively can be critical to success. You don’t need VC resources to find incredible mentors, but you must sharpen this skill as you grow in your career.
The first step in mastering this tool is building a network of people who can offer great advice. To build this network, you need to understand what mentorship really is. Let’s demystify it: mentorship is about understanding your vulnerabilities, blind spots, and limitations, and seeking those who can enlighten you where it matters. It's about knowing your gaps and building a network of people who have the knowledge to fill them. This network-building is an ongoing activity that needs to come from a place of authenticity and care.
Finding great mentors is a karma thing. If you value supporting others, get satisfaction from seeing others succeed, and want to help elevate others, it will come naturally to you, and people will pick up on this. Constantly nurture your network and help others succeed. When you need advice or support, you’ll have an army of people willing to help. Even if you don’t have the right person in your network, someone in your network will, and they will want to help you connect if you are someone who gives to your community.
Once you have mentors, it’s about leveraging your time with them effectively. There are pitfalls to mentorship. Taking the first advice you get and implementing it without considering all the options, who gave the advice, and what other variables and tradeoffs might be at play is a bad idea. At the very least, discuss it with a few key members of your team or other knowledgeable people you trust. If the advice is a clear path forward, then act fast, but nobody loves a leader who changes company strategy based on a single conversation. Not all advice is good or valid; it depends on many factors, including the qualifications of the person giving it, how much context they have, and how closely it aligns with your specific domain. Like seeking medical advice, it’s wise to get more than one opinion. The magnitude of the advice’s impact should also determine how much time you spend validating it. Whether moving fast or slow, never take advice at face value; always evaluate its validity.
Managing your time with your mentor doesn’t need to be overly structured. Just know what you need to ask, be specific, and don’t be shy. Ask tough questions and seek feedback outside of what you’re asking. They may observe valuable things about you. Be open and thankful for any feedback and give as much context as possible so they can give you informed advice.
In the end, being open to both giving and receiving help creates a dynamic and supportive professional environment. Remember, no one achieves success alone, and the true value of mentorship lies in the exchange of wisdom and support that helps everyone reach their full potential.
