Why You Need More Than One Mentor

Mentors.

You’ll hear people talk about them a lot.  People should be mentors.  People should have mentors.  People should both have and be a mentor.

I not only have a mentor, I have several people who I think of as mentors.  Some are people I’ve worked with in one fashion or another.  Some are colleagues I’ve known for a long time. Some are in the same phase of their career that I am; some are one or two steps ahead of me.  All are people whose opinions I respect and value; and have been more than gracious with their time.  In some cases, I’d like to think we’ve mentored each other.  While I have a lot of professional relationships, not all of those people are ones I consider mentors.  My mentors have given me professional advice, not just on a technical topic, but on the nuances of leadership.  They’ve allowed me to speak confidentially.   They’ve helped keep my career on track.

If I only had one mentor, I’d be missing out on a world of benefit.  Here’s some reasons why you want to have many mentors:

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