Give a Man a Fish

There‘s an old proverb with compelling logic - give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for life. 

The idea of a mentor as “someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person” is probably just as old. And in recent years, the assignment of a business mentor has become a standard support for founders of start-ups but isn’t time to move from give a man a mentor to teach a man to find a mentor? So that everyone is a potential mentor? And if it is, what exactly does that involve?

These six steps are well worth considering.

Clarify the Need

Mentors provide a wide range of supports. They can offer information, advice or introductions, they can challenge, motivate or hold someone to account, they can be a sounding board, a voice of reason or a devil’s advocate. So take a little time to consider the type of support required before approaching a mentor.

Know the Mentor

Identify prospective mentors and find out a little about them - who they are, their background, experience and expertise, what might motivate them to mentor, what’s their preferred mentoring style. Take a little time to talk to other founders about their mentor experience.

Have an Ask

Have a specific ask. ‘Can I meet you for a cup of coffee? I’d really value your advice on the approach I should take to raising investment’, ‘Can I meet you for lunch? I’d appreciate your advice on how to find a good CTO for my start-up?’ or ‘I have a big decision to make. I need someone to help me work through the options’’. The more specific the ask the more likely the mentor will respond positively.

Ask Questions/Listen to Answers

Develop questioning and listening skills. Use probing questions to widen and deepen understanding and to increase the value of the mentors input. And use listening skills to hear what's being said. (Bill Liao does a great piece on listening where he talks about the pitfalls of listening to interrupt and listening to object but that’s perhaps a topic for another article.)

Show Respect

Be respectful of the mentor. It's important to value and acknowledge the time the mentor has given, the experience and expertise of the mentor and the advice offered. And always say thanks.

Take Action & Provide Updates

There is nothing that motivates a good mentor more than knowing that full advantage was taken of their support. So act promptly on information provided, advice offered, introductions made. And provide regular (but not too frequent) updates by phone, message, email or face to face. It helps ensure that mentors have a connection to the start-up journey. And the more connected they are, the more likely they will respond to future requests for help.

Eamon Curtin is Director of the IGNITE Graduate Business Innovation Programme, UCC. http://ignite.ucc.ie