In our last video, Will discussed looking at a mentor-mentee relationship as a mutually beneficial one, which it certainly is. If you didn’t get a chance to watch it, I highly suggest you check it out. Having quality mentors in our lives is a fundamental pillar of success. As optometry students most of us naturally find our mentors in our professors, our attendings or our externship preceptors, but some of us need to be a little more intentional about developing this relationship.
Today, I am going to talk about what to look for when seeking out a mentor. The simplest way to put it is to find someone who is in a position professionally and mentally where you want to be someday and learn what they did to get there. In this case your mentor is a living example of what you need to do to attain a certain level of success. Find great mentors through the inspiring people you are already interacting and working with. They need to be people to whom you’ve already demonstrated your potential, who know how you act, think, communicate and contribute. They have to believe in you already. Therefore, I would not advise walking up to a stranger and asking them to be your mentor. Find a mentor who is honest and straightforward. He or she will praise you when you do things well and offer constructive criticism when you need it. In both of the aforementioned cases you want someone who is encouraging, if you leave the conversation or interaction inspired, motivated and hungry to do well then you have found a great mentor and you should be intentional about developing a relationship with this individual.
Don’t forget to check out our next blog with Kristin talking about, “The 10 Key Metrics to Take Into Account When Opening a Practice.”
