Isaac Newton famously stated, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

It sounds like Newton had some mentors in his life, and he’s not alone. Some of the most influential people throughout history have benefited from mentoring relationships: Socrates mentored Plato, Plato mentored Aristotle, Steve Jobs mentored Mark Zuckerberg, Maya Angelou mentored Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet mentored Bill Gates.

All that to say how powerful of a tool mentoring can be for career success and progression. Yet even though the concept of mentoring has been known and practiced for centuries, it’s often underutilized in the professional world today. If you don’t already have a mentor and are wondering what kind of value one would provide, consider these six ways having a mentor can boost your career.

A mentor can:
1. Help you develop soft skills. A good mentor will show you how to work smarter, not harder. And they'll help you develop the soft skills needed to understand people and be an effective leader, navigate office politics, recognize opportunities, and much more.

2. Help fine-tune and expand your vision. They can help you become more self aware by asking carefully crafted questions and listening to understand what's really important to you. The questions may lead you to discover new things about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. Or they may share ideas to challenge and help you see beyond your immediate situation.

3. Unlock doors to opportunities. Referrals and recommendations from a mentor may unlock doors to opportunities beyond your circle. Their connections become your connections.

4. Push you to go further. They'll never let you selttle or become complacent. They'll share honest feedback with your best interest and growth in mind.

5. Can help protect you from missteps. They may share personal experiences and lessons learned that can help protect you from making missteps or poor decisions. Their wise counsel may help you avoid mistakes in judgement that may derail your success.

6. Make you happier and more successful at work. By helping you fine-tune your skills, make new connections, and identify new opportunities you're career will grow as you experience success. All that leads to a happier you!

So, what are you waiting for? Make a list of 2 or 3 people in- or outside of your organization who you admire and think may be a great mentor. Then reach out and see who may be willing to step up and fill that role on your personal team!

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