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The Virtual Mentor



The virtual mentor

Don't you wish some big wig could take an hour out of their day each week to listen to your career aspirations? Or maybe you dream of having lunch with this person and learning the tricks of the trade. The problem with this model is most successful people don't have time for these one on one sessions. Don't let that stop you. Instead use them as muse.

Find a leader in your organization who possesses the soft and hard skills you desire to hone and bring them on your team as a virtual mentor.

Why are they virtual? Because they aren't actively involved in the mentoring; instead, you are observing and actively making notes of their abilities.

Soft skills

Create a folder in your email with your mentor's name on it. Any time this person sends an email make sure to setup a rule for the email to go into this folder.

Also make notes as you sit in meetings or have any direct interaction with this person. Send an email to yourself with the notes and place it in this same folder.

At the end of the week or month, whatever feels more natural for you, go through the emails and ask yourself the following questions:

How did this person make others feel?

How did he/she craft their emails?

How can I do something similar?

Hard skills

Do you know what credentials your virtual mentor possesses? Connect with them on LinkedIn and read through their bio. Do they have certain certifications that you too would like to attain?


Research the certifications and begin your path to reading and learning everything their is to know about that certification.

You could even send a quick email to your virtual mentor asking what made them decide to receive x, y or z credentials and their opinion on the best local options.

 

A word of caution: I would not formalize this relationship with an email or in person dialogue that involves you saying or typing "be my mentor." You may find this person changes who they are entirely because you've put unneeded pressure on their actions. Instead

use their daily breadcrumbs of wisdom as your nourishment.

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