Jenni Luke, CEO of Step Up Women’s Network, offers advice to the members of Connect: Professional Women's Network on everything you need to know about mentoring relationships. To learn more about Connect and join the group for free, visit http://www.linkedin.com/womenconnect.

1. BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Mentoring 101!
Jenni Luke, CEO of Step Up Women’s Network, offers advice on
everything you need to know about mentoring relationships.!

2. Meet Jenni Luke!
Jenni is CEO of Step Up Women’s
Network, a nonprofit organization inspiring
women to inspire girls.
Overseeing Step Up’s offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, Jenni
directs the organization’s objective of propelling girls from under-resourced
communities to fulfill their potential.
Under her leadership, Step Up empowers girls to become confident,
college-bound, career-focused and ready to join the next generation of
professional women. You can learn more at www.suwn.org.
Jenni recently answered questions from the
members of Connect: Professional Women’s Network.
Here’s some of her most popular advice!

3. WHAT IS A MENTOR?
I recommend that we broaden the definition of what
a mentor is. While the traditional archetype of an
older person taking a young recruit under her wing
certainly applies, that is by no means the only model.
Mentors can be old or young, in your industry or out,
able to meet regularly or only occasionally. They might
take an active role in driving your career, or they might
prefer you come to them when you have questions.
Whatever the set-up, a mentor is someone with
valuable experience who helps you make
important career and life decisions.

4. Who needs a mentor? Some people need mentors when they’re
right out of college or graduate school, some when they’re more senior in
their career and looking for a different type of mentoring, and others
simply at a time when they’re looking to be inspired. We all need mentors
throughout our lives, and the needs change over time.

5. How do I find a mentor? The best one-to-one, longer-term
mentoring relationships come organically. Stay in touch with your favorite
professor and build relationships with people in your company, even when
you move on to other opportunities. Then when you reach out with
questions, you’re coming from a more authentic place. If you’re farther along
in your career, think back to that great boss or colleague and look them up.

6. Which is better: a mentor inside my workplace or out?
Internal mentoring or sponsorship programs to ensure that those with
potential are rising through the ranks are important. But I do recommend
that people seek mentors from outside their company if they feel they
can’t honestly speak their minds and get the support they need.

7. Does my mentor need to be in my industry? Connect with
industry-specific networking groups or list-serves to broaden your network
within your field. Remember that skills translate across industries. Thinking
this way can broaden your pool of resources dramatically.

8. How do I ask someone to mentor me? Generally, using the
phrase “Will you be my mentor” isn’t the best approach. Create a
relationship with someone around the skills you need that they have.
Start specific, grow the relationship organically, and then get into a more
consistent or detailed relationship if that’s where it leads.

9. How do I sustain the relationship? It’s up to you as the mentee
to set the tone and pace of the relationship. If the reason you initially came to
your mentor for has been resolved, follow up to share the outcome and to
thank them. This can set the stage for switching gears to talk about a new
challenge you’d like help with. Being clear about what you need will give
them the best chance to serve you.

10. How can I make the most of my mentor? Bring clarity to what
you need by thinking about the categories of questions you have. Are
they skills-based? Do you need help with management of staff?
Wondering how to navigate office politics? These are all great places to
start with a mentor, and you can build the relationship from there.

11. Can an older person be mentored by someone younger?
When taking on any new job or set of responsibilities, we all need
training and assistance, no matter what our age. An older person can
certainly learn from the younger people on the team. It might help to
leave the word “mentor” out of it and just ask questions.

12. I’d love to mentor
someone. How can I
find a mentee?
If you feel inspired to reach
out to someone, do it! One
of my mentors made it a
goal to serve a younger
executive who he felt had
potential and whom he
worked well with. I was
fortunate that he reached
out to me, and he has
become a truly valued
resource.

13. Can I mentor more than one person at a time? If you take
a broader view of mentorship, you can mentor several people at once by
speaking to a group of colleagues or associates at your company, sitting
on a panel discussion of your professional association or writing for your
company newsletter.

14. Join the conversation!
Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi, is an online
community on LinkedIn that helps women achieve the careers they want and
discuss the issues relevant to their success
For more great insights from Connect members, check out the discussion:
I'm Jenni Luke, Here to Answer Your Questions About Mentoring.
Visit linkedin.com/womenconnect for more information
and to join the group for free!
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2: Courtesy of suwn.org
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7: Fortune Live Media
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8: Dell's Official Flickr Page
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13: Dell's Official Flickr Page

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