{"id":6444,"date":"2015-10-19T11:41:48","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T15:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=6444"},"modified":"2018-08-16T13:28:38","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:28:38","slug":"the-3-mentors-you-cant-thrive-without","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2015\/10\/19\/the-3-mentors-you-cant-thrive-without\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Mentors You Can’t Thrive Without"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mentor_learner_co-op.svg\"<\/a>It\u2019s no secret that a mentor can make a life-changing impact on your career. They can help guide your steps, expand your perspective and introduce you to the right people. People often ask the question, however, \u201cWhat kind of mentors do I need and how many should I have?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

These are the three types of mentors that you can\u2019t thrive without. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Mentee<\/b><\/p>\n

The mentee isn\u2019t commonly associated as a \u201cmentor\u201d of any kind. The honest truth is this\u2014just because you\u2019re mentoring someone doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t lessons to be learned and these lessons can often be substantial ones. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mentees can teach you how to listen better. In this relationship, you\u2019re the one trying to help guide them forward. This requires a lot of listening, which is something that any aspiring communications professional needs to master. Moving forward, this will help you better listen to the needs of clients, co-workers and other stakeholders. <\/span><\/p>\n

You will also learn how to be a better leader. Some say leaders are born and others say leaders are made. The bottom line this is\u2014it takes practice to be a great leader. Having a mentee is a pivotal opportunity to hone your skills. And in an honest relationship, your mentee can help you further this skill by providing feedback on how you\u2019re leading.<\/p>\n

The Person Just a Few Steps Ahead<\/b><\/p>\n

For some, this could be a recent graduate who scored their first job. For others, it could be the professional with two-to-three years experience more than them. <\/span><\/p>\n

The person just a few steps ahead, also known as a new pro, has a lot to offer. They were in your shoes not that long ago. A lot of the steps you\u2019re about to take are ones they can effectively coach you on. Relevant advice can help you avoid pitfalls in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Experienced Veteran<\/b><\/p>\n

This is what people most commonly associate with the term \u201cmentor\u201d and with good reason. The experienced veteran is someone established and decorated in the industry. They\u2019ve proven themselves time and time again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only do they have the connections to help you move forward, but they also have the wisdom to guide you through those make or break moments. Most importantly, however, when it comes to the bigger picture, these kind of mentors can help you think broader. <\/span><\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/b><\/p>\n

After learning this you might feel rushed to run out and score your own mentor. If you have not established the relationship already, I encourage you to pump the brakes. What\u2019s most important about mentor relationships is that they aren\u2019t forced. You can\u2019t force anyone to be a mentee or a mentor, and you shouldn\u2019t try to. By positioning yourself in the right circles\u2014your PRSSA Chapter, your local PRSA Chapter and PRSSA National events\u2014you can establish organic relationships that last the test of time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Butler is an entrepreneur and marketing communications professional. He\u2019s the founder of a<\/span><\/i> public relations and branding firm<\/span><\/i><\/a>, Top Hat IMC, director of inbound partnerships at an inbound marketing agency and head of communications at a SaaS startup. You can connect with Ben on <\/span><\/i>LinkedIn<\/span><\/i><\/a> and on Twitter <\/span><\/i>@BenButlerPR<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that a mentor can make a life-changing impact on your career. They can help guide your steps, expand your perspective and introduce you to the right people. People often ask the question, however, \u201cWhat kind of mentors do I need and how many should I have?\u201d These are the three types of mentors that you can\u2019t thrive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[76,610,2325,36,360,362,2324],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6446,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444\/revisions\/6446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}