I often get asked to be mentored by young men and women who want to be leaders. I am often humbled that they would seek me ought and ask. I also know the inclination, as I was once in their shoes.
We live in a time right now where older men and women who are qualified to mentor the next generation are not doing so. I think it is due, in large part, to the level of busy-ness we find ourselves in. Most of us have families and are juggling the responsibilities of helping fill out college applications and getting together “Secret Santa” gifts and collecting donations for end of the year gifts for teachers, administrators, support staff, and…These responsibilities are on top of the professional pulls we feel to earn our paycheck and keep our jobs.
Having been someone who desired mentorship, I remember that I was very self-focused. I knew the older generation was busy…but didn’t realize how busy they were. I got frustrated that they didn’t have time to get a coffee so I could “pick their brain” on some ambiguous idea I was batting around in my head.
What I wish I had known then was this: Make yourself useful.
If you want to grow and be mentored, in the area you want to be mentored in, find a spot you can volunteer your time toward and simply serve. Serve the greater cause of the organization. Serve the leadership. Ask them how you can help. When they give you a task, do it joyfully and completely and timely.
If someone gives you time, any time, be overwhelming in your gratitude. Instead of reading a good book or writing or just decompressing from the stresses of life, the older person took time to care for you. Remember to be grateful and to say “Thank You”. Remember, you are not owed anything.
I personally have a few hours each week to mentor the next generation in a small environment. I have committed to helping these young people discern their next steps in life. If you have such a relationship with a mentor, you need to take it upon yourself to prepare…to have questions ready to ask…to be proactive in offering ways you can help the organization thrive. Instead of waiting to get marching orders, it’s better to say, “I noticed this area that could use some attention, I was thinking of doing x, would you be good with that? Do you have any suggestions I could implement to help? Do you have some other area you think my time would be better spent?”
I’m telling you, that kind of posture in humility will go further than trying to prove your worth.
A last bit of advice I would give you is to be present. Don’t only be thinking about the next few years of your life and what you can get out of the experience. Instead, be fully present where you are so that you can actually see something expand and develop. Too many times young people can be narrowly focused on the ways they want to grow. They don’t realize that by throwing themselves into the service of others, they will actually grow.