Mentors, Part 2

Finding a mentor may seem daunting but in reality, the world is becoming a small inter-connected web. Don’t think about just who you know, think bigger. Who do you want to know?

I suggest you find mentors in a number of places:

1. In your church
There are authentic leaders in your church. I suggest you look for people in your church who have a high sense of self and high degree of confidence in their abilities. I seek out people who are clearly advancing in their careers and I ask questions. At times, I’ll have coffee or lunch with a mentor in an un-related field just to tap into their leadership qualities.

2. Through your church partners
At Sanctuary, we started off with some seed funds from Woodland Hills Church and Church of the Open Door. I was at Open Door for many years and had contracted to do some design work for them. I then moved on to Woodland Hills where I volunteered and helped to design the campaign that not only was building their Youth Center, but also funded the Sanctuary planting fund. At both of these places, I gained from my experience, but also built the necessary relationships to go back and say, “I don’t know what I’m doing…can you help?” Find your local church networks and step out of your comfort zone, get to know the people who make influential decisions and grow the relationships.

3. At conferences
The modern church is conference crazy. Literally crazy. Throw a dart at a map and there’s probably a conference going on that week. I think I’m averaging attending 2-3 conferences a year now…Not exactly a conference scenester, but taking in enough to get the much needed restarts that help you to avoid burnout. Pick a relevant conference to your job. Maybe it’s just on leadership, maybe it’s on your specific field. Go. Get to know. Grow. I try not to leave a conference without making 1-2 truly valuable connections. Sometimes it’s outside of my comfort zone, but it’s well worth it. Talk to someone after a workshop they taught. Ask real questions that further the conversation.

4. On the web
If you aren’t on Facebook or Twitter, you should be. Everybody else is. These applications make it easier for you to actually connect with people you once thought were untouchable. For instance, this guy or this guy. These applications are making geography irrelevant. There’s a very good chance that someone you believe would be a great mentor is just a few clicks away. Start the relationship small and grow it with care.

Finding a mentor all comes down to being real about pursuing your goals. We all reach thresholds where we stop growing on our own. Mentors will help you move on to the next level. But, you need to have the courage to take the first steps towards building the relationships that can make a difference in your life…