GREAT 169 IDEA: Find a Mentor and Be a Mentor

Finding a mentor is a great idea. A mentor can steer you around the potholes and buoy you up when you are drowning in confusion.

I have been fortunate to have several mentors, who played a significant role in my life.

My first mentor was the late Dr. James Julian, a respected and feared professor who taught media law at San Diego State University. He was tough, demanding, and grouchy. I was afraid of him, especially when he peppered us with complicated legal concepts and rattled us with eye-crossing exams.

One day, he abruptly stopped lecturing to reprimand me for whispering to a friend. I was mortified. He told me to meet him in his office immediately after class. I was shaking when I sat down across from him. Instead of yelling at me for disrupting the class, he dug through the piles of papers on his desk. He handed me an application for a national student journalism contest.

“Fill this out,” he barked. So I did.

A few months later, on the plane to Buffalo, New York, to accept my first award for writing, I realized that I had a mentor. For years, he critiqued my work and pushed me to write better stories and work harder. He also praised my accomplishments and was my biggest fan. We kept in touch long after I graduated and I miss him.

Over the years, I've sought out a variety of mentors to help me overcome all sorts of professional and personal obstacles. I seek out people whose accomplishments inspire me—people who lead lives of purpose and fulfillment.

Sometimes, the best mentor works in a different profession than yours. One of my current mentors, an extremely respected and successful businessperson, is involved in national politics and education.

Once, when I was embroiled in an internal battle around our biggest corporate consulting project, I called him. He listened to my story and asked pointed questions about the key players involved. Then, he gave me some great ideas to help calm the waters and resolve the crisis. His advice was critical to the eventual success of the project.

You're probably reading this and thinking, well, perhaps it's easy for Jane Applegate to find mentors—but what about me? Everyone can find a mentor. There are mentors in every corner of America. No matter how small your town is, there is someone there whom you admire, someone who is living the kind of life you would like to lead.

Writing a simple note, sending an e-mail, or making a telephone call is the first step. Ask a mutual friend or acquaintance to make an introduction. Explain that you admire what they have accomplished and ask if you can meet with them for a few minutes. Don't frighten them by saying, “I want you to be my mentor.”

Busy, successful people rarely have time for a long lunch, but they might have time for a chat on the phone or a cup of coffee near their office. If the person you choose turns you down, try someone else. It's easy to find a mentor through the SCORE program. Retired executives volunteer their time to help business owners like you. Visit www.score.org.

Here's another great idea: check out a mentoring program run by Mercy Corps, a nonprofit agency. MicroMentor.org provides free online matches aimed at connecting business owners with volunteer mentors. The site has registered more than 3,500 entrepreneurs and 2,600 mentors and made more than 2,000 matches, according to a spokeswoman for the group.

She said business owners who worked with mentors actually experienced a 75 percent increase in annual sales.

Finally, be a mentor. I enjoy mentoring young women working in the entertainment business. I've introduced them to my contacts and helped them find jobs in New York City. I like to think my advice is helping them pursue their celluloid dreams.