Avionics News November 2012 - 53

You can’t ever know everything necessary to lead your shop into the future, but you will go a long way when you know how to use mentoring as a tool that delivers knowledge effectively.

leadership abilities, technical expertise and knowledge, and even enjoys a sense of renewal in his or her own profession through the appreciation, energy and legacy the protégé offers. At the same time, you need to do more than show up. You have to be open to learning, trying new approaches and taking the time to think. “Your mentor is not going to make you grow and develop,” Zachary said. “You have to be responsible for it.” Consider how it can get you where you want to be in one, two or five years. You will need a set of SMART goals – ones that are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and timely. “You should have an idea of what you want to get out of it and why you’re doing it,” Zachary said. “It’s not just getting together and having a beer and talking; it’s about going someplace. Learning is the purpose, the process and the outcome of mentoring.” These goals will help you find the perfect partner for your situation. Indeed, you can find a mentor in a variety of places: the Small Business Administration’s Service Corps of Retired Executives, your college alumni network, online mentoring networks, the LinkedIn social-networking community, small-business events, chambers of commerce or within your own network inside the aviation or avionics industry. That’s not the problem – it’s finding the right one. The key is to exactly define the attributes you require of a mentor, including specific experience, expertise and attitude, such as a male with an excellent sales record in a service industry who lives in your geographic region. Divide your wish list into wants and needs, and ask your network to identify possible fits.

BUILDING SUPPORT If you don’t already know the prospect, make an initial connection with the person. This is as simple as an email introduction from a mutual friend and is the first step to collaboration. Approach the prospect with a small ask, or request a single piece of advice to break the ice and talk for 20 minutes about the subject. If this works and you feel like you have some rapport, ask to follow up with a longer conversation during lunch or some other unobtrusive time. Use the follow-on to learn more, including the person’s values, interests, inspirations, career paths and stumbles, lessons learned and personal-development strategies. Your goal is to develop points of similarity so you can build a relationship. “It’s important to do those interviews because you want to find out not only does that pertinent person have the expertise, but you want to make sure you’re not blown away by chemistry,” Zachary said. “You also want to find out if that person has the time and the willingness to make that commitment.” If you found a good learning fit, make it official and ask for mentoring. “You need to be as specific as you possibly can: here’s what I’m interested in learning, here’s why I’m interested in learning, here’s why I came to you and here’s what I’m looking for from you,” Zachary said. Suggest meeting once a month, and ask whether this schedule works for the individual.
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Avionics News November 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News November 2012