How to approach a potential mentor

By on May 7, 2015   /   Mentors   /   1 Comment

by Karen Adamedes

By the time you approach a potential mentor you should have identified what you want to learn from them and have decided that the person you are going to approach will be able to help you. (This can be the easy bit!)

Often we don’t progress to the next step of following through because we’re not sure how to ask, don’t want them to think we need help or are nervous about being rejected.

I personally am guilty of all 3 but I have also used all the strategies suggested below and they have worked. (Yes, all Career Tips To Go have been pre-tested!)

There are a number of different strategies you can use, depending on your intended victim (prospective mentor, that is) and how well you know them.

The worst thing that can happen is that they say no. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as my mother would say. As long as you ask professionally there is no reason not to give it a go!

Mentor Target 1 – Someone you know!

If you approach someone you have an established relationship with you can get straight to the issue that you are seeking help with. You don’t even have to use the “m” word (mentor!) 

Here are a couple of approaches:

I’m currently working on improving my presentation skills (insert your skill of choice) and I was wondering if we could catch up so I could ask you a few questions about how you (whatever they do)?

or

It’s been really helpful when we’ve talked previously, I have a few career options that I’m weighing up and I wonder if you’d have time for a chat/coffee?

These approaches cover why you want some of the valuable time and how they can help. If you ask in this way and do get turned down, usually it will be for a genuine reason, such as time or work pressures. Not because they don’t want to help you.

At the very least you will have represented yourself as a professional who is serious about your career.  If they do say “yes” it could be helpful for just the issue you approach them about or the beginning of a longer term mentoring relationship.

Like I said, you don’t have to formally ask if the person will mentor you. But a follow up thank you call, a second meeting, you start to build a relationship by catching up regularly – and before you know – You’ve got ’em. (As a mentor that is!)

Mentor Target 2 – Your Manager is moving on

This assumes that you manager has skills that you want to learn and you’d like a formal way to keep in touch with them.  (There are some managers you are more than happy to see walk out the door…let those ones go!) Hopefully you have a good one, but they may be moving to a new company or just another position, (I once had a manager resign 6 weeks after I took a job specifically so I could work with them…sigh!) whatever the move it means you lose the day to day learning experience with them.

Who could resist this approach?

I am so pleased you have this opportunity. But I’ll miss the chance to work with you and learn more about your approach to XYZ. Do you think you might be able to continue working with me on this as a mentor?

Formalizing your relationship at this stage makes it legitimate for you to keep in contact even if they’re up to their necks in their new role. They will remember the commitment that they made to you.

Mentor Target 3 – Someone you don’t know (well)

Let’s assume you have some vague association with the person and are not just randomly approaching senior managers trying to land a mentor. (This really wouldn’t meet our pre-requisite of knowing what you want to learn from someone anyway!) 

This association – whether you work in the same organization or business unit, or someone has recommended you to approach them, or have a work issue is common – whatever it is – this is your introduction to why you are getting in touch and will allow you to establish your credibility.

Once you have done this – proceed as you would with someone you know better, explaining why you want to speak to them, what you are trying to learn and how you think they can help.

Career Tip To Go:

[Tweet “Be specific when you approach a potential mentor about what you want to learn and why.”]

People will be flattered when you ask for their help. The type of person that you are likely to want to learn from is very often the type of person that wants to help.

Just ask.

 

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5 Tips to turn your dreams into reality

By on January 30, 2015   /   Manage Your Career   /   Leave a comment

by Karen Adamedes

I wouldn’t describe myself as a gambler but I reckon it’s a good bet that if you’re reading this blog article you have at least one goal for your career? A dream you would like to achieve?

There are all sorts of career goals that cover many different aspects of work. Forbes.com’s post “11 popular Career-Related New Year’s Resolutions”  lists goals that range from:

  • what job people do – wanting to get a raise or promotion or find a new job, to
  • how they do it – being more organized, improving relationships with the boss or co-workers and enhancing communications skills, to
  • how work impacts on our whole lives – reducing stress and improving work life balance.

You may even have a number of these in your plan for 2015!

Given that research by a British psychologist Richard Wiseman suggests that 88% of New Year Resolutions are doomed to failure – as only 12% are achieved at the end of a year.

That’s pretty disappointing when you consider that any resolution is usually about improving your life. Career-specific goals impact what you do day-in and day-out, how much money you earn, the people you work with and many other aspects of our lives (not that big a deal – just a lot of your life!).

One place to start is by looking at the goals you have set for yourself.

Here’s 5 tips to help you achieve your goals:

1. Have goals that are what you really, really want. 

Think about the goals you have set and be sure that they will be what you really want if you are successful. You can only get by for so long on will power and at some point working towards them is going to feel like hard work or a distraction from other things that you want to do.

Ask yourself if what you want will be worth the effort? And if when you get to your goals will you be doing something or working somewhere or in a way that you actually like?

In his book, “The Strongest Life” author Marcus Buckingham says that talking with other people who are already doing what you are working towards is one of the best ways of understanding whether you will be happy when you are doing it. Go out and talk to people. Ask questions. Google it. Find out as much as you can.

When you know that your goals are what you really, really want, (not what you think you want or that someone else wants for you) it will make it so much easier to go from the resolution made over a glass of bubbles to an action plan and the hard yards of implementation.

2. Be specific about what you want to achieve

Once you start developing a plan you will need to know exactly what achieving your goal will look like.

A vague “get a new job” goal is a lot harder to plan than knowing that you want a specific type of role, in the type of company you want to work for, at a certain pay level and where you want the role to be located.

3. Prioritize

Multi-tasking doesn’t really work when you’re trying to eat and type (as a keyboard filled with lettuce has reminded me on many occasions) and it’s not that much different trying to achieve multiple goals at the same time.

If you have too many goals it’s unlikely you will have the capacity to focus on them all.

Work out what is most important to achieve and focus on one, maybe two goals that will help you get there.

One goal, achieved, is better than a long list of fabulous ideas that never get off the ground.

Notebook and pen

Write your goals down to bring them to life

4. Write them down!

Writing down your goals makes them real…not just a fleeting thought.

When you see one written down it ‘exists’ and helps you validate if this is what you really want.

And it becomes the start of your plan to make it into a reality.

5. Develop an action plan.

A plan of specific, actionable steps is the difference between a whimsy (no matter how much you want it) and a tangible, achievable goal.

If you know what you are going to do and when you are going to do it – you will be able to keep track of your progress and have an anchor to come back to when you are busy with other things. You won’t have to start from the beginning wondering where you were up to last time you were working on the activity.

Break down larger or ambitious goals into smaller steps so that they are more manageable.

Assign due dates to your steps and put them in your calendar, smart phone or any of your devices that is going to be a nuisance and remind you that they are due.

These small steps can help you stay on track and actually turn your dreams into reality.

The Career Tip To Go: [Tweet “Focus on your goal and turn it into a plan”]

 

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If you really want a goal – don’t give up!

By on January 20, 2015   /   Career Planning   /   Leave a comment

Keep going and focus on your goals

By Karen Adamedes

Imagine how Australian Jarmila Gajdosova must have felt every January for the last 9 years when she turned up to Melbourne and never won a match at the Grand Slam tennis major, the Australian Open?

Despite playing well in other countries and other tournaments, this was one goal Gajdosova, currently 62 in the world rankings, just couldn’t crack. And in 9 years she never progressed past the first round.

Disappointed? Frustrated? Annoyed? (To say the least I would suspect!)

All feelings that many of us have when we try. Our best. And aren’t successful at achieving our goals or realizing our dreams.

As Gajdosova told News.com.au “the more the losses came the more I wanted to win” and that her coach, Chris Johnstone told her to “play the way you have, fight, work hard and put a smile on your face”. She did. And this year, her “10th Anniversary” at the Australian Open, she nailed it and won her first round match in two sets (6-3, 6-4).  (Well done Jarmila!)

It must have been tough coming back to play year after year. But she did.

And that’s the way to reach your goals – don’t give up!

There are many examples of success being achieved after multiple attempts (and failures) – Thomas Edison took 1,000 attempts to invent the light bulb, Steven King’s first novel was rejected by publishers 30 times, Jay-Z couldn’t get a record company to sign him up. I could go on.

It’s not just tennis players, inventors, best-selling authors and hip-hop artists that need to keep going in the face of disappointments.

It’s relevant if you miss out on a promotion, role or course you apply for. It’s relevant if you don’t achieve your sales or business targets. It’s relevant if you don’t get to work on a particular project or with a certain team or whatever goal you have set for your career.

It’s relevant to all of us who have a dream, or a goal we want to achieve and run into some disappointments along the way.

There may be a number of things we need to do differently. But the first is don’t give up!

The Career Tip To Go: Keep going and focus on your goals.

My mother was right (let’s keep that between us!) when she used to quote the old proverb to me “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”

 

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John Legend recognizes he is living his dream

By on December 11, 2014   /   Manage Your Career   /   Leave a comment
John Legend...living his career dream

John Legend…living his career dream

By Karen Adamedes

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing singer-songwriter John Legend in concert in one of Australia’s wine regions, the Hunter Valley.

The music was brilliant, the moon was full, the wine was cold and the rain was falling (did I mention it was an outdoor show?)…it was a great night.

Helping his Australian audience get to know him a little more, Legend interspersed some of his songs with stories about his musical journey and history.

He told a story that made me think and I thought my career team (that’s you) might like to hear…

He talked about moving to New York City in 2000 when he finished college. Taking a big risk. With very big dreams.

Dreams, he said, that are exactly the life that he is living now.

Love it!

He knew what his dream was…and he can recognize that he is living it now.

His story made me think about is how important to have a dream, know exactly what it is and be able to recognize what you’ve achieved.

You might not win 9 Grammys but whatever you want…dream big, know what it looks like and enjoy it when you see it!

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