A highly successful mentor may seem ideal, but bigger names often come with tradeoffs. Availability, relevance to your career stage, and the ability to teach often matter more than reputation alone.
Many people would like a well-known leader like Warren Buffett or Oprah Winfrey as their mentor. However, bigger names are not always the best choice. Understanding why can help you select a mentor who is right for you, regardless of reputation.
First, there’s an issue of timing. If you had such a world-class mentor, he or she may not have much time for you. A senior person at your company may be able to spare an hour every week or two; the CEO likely can’t afford to give that much time, or even an hour or two a month (and Buffett or Winfrey even less so). The more senior the person, the less time they may have to offer you.
Second, they may be less connected to where you are. A very senior mentor may have some generally good advice but may not appreciate the importance of a personal brand on social media that a recent college graduate in your field needs, or how to stand out as a senior individual contributor today (since such roles may be many levels below where she is on the org chart). She probably doesn’t work directly with many recent college grads, and it’s been a while since she was one. It may even be inefficient mentoring as much of her sage advice won’t be applicable to you for a number of years to come.
When I was a competitive ballroom dancer, I took lessons from some of the top dancers in the country and even the world. We needed this level of coaching since we competed at the top level. The couples who came to the studio looking to choreograph a dance for their wedding sometimes had instructors who had only themselves started dancing and teaching a few months prior. Honestly, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Those wedding couples just needed to hit the beat and know where to put their feet. They were less concerned about getting the rising toe action exactly right or arm styling. I was more advanced than those novice instructors, and so wouldn’t be helped by their instruction, but for many couples such instructors were just fine. Had they hired a more expensive, world-class ballroom instructor they would have been overpaying for the same lessons. (Again, there may not be a financial cost with your mentors, but there is a decreasing level of involvement more likely from more senior names.)
I’ll go even further and mention that one of my favorite instructors had one of the weaker winning records during his time on the professional circuit. I wasn’t taking lessons from him for his wins, but rather what he could teach me, and as a teacher, he was one of the best that I met. Success is a proxy for capability, but you’re not “buying” capability from a mentor, you’re buying education. Someone who is wildly successful but can’t teach you his methods is far less valuable than someone of less success who can show you how to follow in her footsteps.
When looking for a mentor there are many dimensions to consider. Reputation is one. Yes, it helps to name-drop sometimes and bigger names can often open more doors for you. But also consider the other facets above. How much time can this mentor offer you and is it sufficient? Is this person able to relate to your circumstance and needs? Can he actually help you grow, meaning, is he a good teacher giving you advice you can employ?
We often seek out the biggest “brands” to be our mentors, meaning the people with the biggest titles or reputations. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t overlook those whose brands shine less brightly. The bigger names might be able to open more doors, but conversely, they may have less time or less connection to where you are in your career. When it comes to learning and development what matters is not the reputation of your mentors, but how well they can teach you and support you. That is the most useful rubric for mentor selection.
One final thought: don’t forget to thank your mentor. Yes, they likely enjoy mentoring, but it's always nice to be appreciated.
It’s critical to learn about corporate culture before you accept a job offer but it can be awkward to raise such questions. Learn what to ask and how to ask it to avoid landing yourself in a bad situation.
Investing just a few hours per year will help you focus and advance in your career.
Groups with a high barrier to entry and high trust are often the most valuable groups to join.
