Successful women share top tips for finding (and keeping) a mentor

 

Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Stephanie Walden, and first appeared on Mashable.

Mentorships can be hard to come by — and even more difficult to hold on to. Given busy schedules and fluctuating lifestyles, it's a challenge to put in the time and effort to maintain a mutually beneficial mentor relationship.

But it can be done, and when done correctly, mentorship can have immense rewards for both parties.

We spoke to a pair from WomenAdvancing to get their take on how professional women can maintain a successful mentorship relationship that stands the test of time and tribulations.

A model mentorship

Kathy Aaronson and Julia Robinson originally met through a formalized mentor-matching program, and later continued their friendship and mentorship at WomenAdvancing, an organization that offers an inclusive and supportive environment for professional women to further their careers.

Robinson, who now works at Twitter on the brand strategy team, says that she instantly clicked with Aaronson, currently the chief executive at Sales Athlete Executive Search.

"From the moment we met, we got each other," she says.

Camaraderie and mutual understanding has blossomed into more than simply professional guidance — the pair considers the relationship a friendship to boot. Below are five tips on how others seeking a thriving mentor relationship may be as lucky.

1. Be open and honest

A strong foundation based on honesty and mutual respect is key to a genuine mentorship.

"We have an agreement that we'll tell each other the truth. There's no such thing as bad news, just taking that and working with it. That's the basis of our relationship," says Aaronson.

Robinson backs up this sentiment — she dates this mentality of openness and honesty back to before the pair even met in person. "I specifically remember when Kathy and I got matched, she was looking for a mentee who felt 'stuck.' She couldn't have found a more perfect person than me. When we entered our relationship, I was in a very 'stuck' place," she says.

"It was amazing how quickly we became friends; our communication just skyrocketed."

The pair says that their relationship goes through a natural ebb and flow; at times they are in pretty constant communication — by phone, email, text and whatever means necessary. Other times, they meet and speak on an as-needed basis. "At this point I feel like we just kind of have ESP," says Robinson. "[Kathy] always swoops in just at the right moment."

Continue here to read the rest of the article and for more tips