Saeed Torbati Discusses The Importance Of Finding A Mentor

For anyone who is looking to start a new company, bolster their business plan, or expand their intelligence, a mentor can be a valuable assistant. These individuals provide inspiration, push you to perform better, share their connections and offer themselves up as someone whom you can constantly bounce ideas off of.

A dependable, trustworthy mentor can be instrumental in your overall success, with their guidance and solutions helping you get through various conundrums. Their advice can be resoundingly precious, as they possess the experience and wisdom to keep your business motoring on.

Saeed Torbati, an established entrepreneur who splits the majority of his time between Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, has explained how you can find an ideal mentor, or multiple advisers, and ensure that your partnership yields the utmost of benefits.

A Numbers Game

Saeed Torbati suggests that you follow the mantra of "the more, the merrier", both in terms of how many mentors you work with and where you come into contact with them initially.

Mentors all have specific areas of expertise, so you should attempt to form a bond with a number of them but be certain that each mentor specializes in an area that you are interested in. Their style and approach ought to mimic yours to an extent. Watching them utilize their vast array of skills to propel their career will also instill you with plenty of confidence.

Afterwards, seek out a mentor whose style is largely unique and different to what you incorporate. While their strategies and suggestions might come off as terrifying, uncanny propositions, you will gain massive maturity by applying them yourself, learning fresh tips and methods along the way.

Where you meet a mentor is unimportant. Don't limit your opportunities by believing that you need to bump into a mentor at the office, because you really can meet them anywhere. Grocery stores, airports, gas stations, yoga classes, dinner parties; you name it, and there is a decent chance that an ideal mentor is roaming around.

Creating sincere connections will open up tremendous, multi-faceted opportunities for your business venture.

Fulfill Your Expectations

Just as you expect your mentor to be a consistent, sturdy presence, you too must return the favor by being a super mentee. This is a two-way relationship that should result in both individuals growing and improving, Saeed Torbati states.

Be available to them during difficult moments and dedicate yourself to helping out, whether that is by boosting their professional network, listening to their current challenges, offering feedback or lending a hand to ease their workload.

Schedule regular meetings with your mentor as well, since this will strengthen the relationship and prevent you from separating due to a lack of in-person conversations. All in all, afford your mentor the same courtesies that they have extended to you throughout your efforts.

Networking

As your relationship with a mentor continues to blossom, you can commence in accessing their networks and contacts, if they've given you their blessing. However, don't come across as someone who is strictly interested in the mentor's rolodex, especially when the connection is only beginning. When some time has passed and your mentor is convinced that you are worthy of their contact list, then it might occur. On the chance that you earn your own useful connections, ones that could contribute to your mentor's goals, make him or her aware of this and perhaps initiate an introduction.

Listen & Learn

Each side of the relationship has to respect this tip. Mentors have to understand the needs of the mentee, realize where they are in their trajectory and help them make crucial decisions about attaining their objective. If a mentor shares a personal anecdote from their past, it could lead the mentee into a state of dependency and onto a route that doesn't necessarily suit them. Listening will serve the mentor well, as they can then promote independence and recognize the special journey that the mentee is undertaking. Once that transpires, the mentor can properly nurture the mentee.

As for the mentee, they need to be prepared to listen and consider the mentor's advice. Their input can be invaluable, particularly when the mentee has encountered an unusual, problematic situation that is the first of its kind in their course.

Be Honest With Each Other

It is paramount that a great level of honesty is constantly prevalent in the relationship, otherwise both parties will inevitably fail to hold up their end of the bargain.

Pleasant news travels faster than grim updates, but a mentor must be ready to point out mistakes produced by the mentee, set them straight and point them in the right direction.

Similarly, if a mentee discovers that they are incompatible with their mentor, they should not hesitate to express their concerns, part ways and begin to look for another teacher. Saeed Torbati concludes that unless the mentor proves to adjust their mannerisms, hoping to aid your development, you can feel free to seek assistance elsewhere. Mentorship is a two-way street and if both parties do not find benefit it is in their mutual best interest to go their separate ways.