I think this topic is significant to me and that is evident because I have brought up
mentorship in the discussion posts and the papers I have written for this class. When searching
for a mentor, I think we need to keep in mind that when someone is asked to be a mentor, they
may say no, and we shouldn't take it personally. If they say no, it could be for a multitude of
reasons they are not obligated to divulge. Ultimately, they are watching out for themselves, and
that is a good thing.
There are a few ways to go about findings a mentor. First, it depends on what kind of
mentor you are looking for. Typically, people are looking for a mentor in their professional life.
However, there are various kinds of mentors for each aspect of life. For example, mentors for
personal life, academic life, marriage, and spiritual life, and etc. I believe one of the best ways to
find a professional mentor is to look where you currently work or to those in the same field or
field you want to be in or learn from. Another thing is to look for someone with excellent
communication skills, someone who is trusting, who you can run ideas by, and someone who can
provide guidance, feedback, and advice. They need to be willing to work with you and have the
time to do it. The most important thing I think is someone that will keep your confidence and
privacy (Rolfe, 2017) as well as someone that has a relationship with God. Yes, even as a
professional mentor, I want that. It is because when they have that faith, it affects all aspects of
their lives, and that is important. We discussed integrity last week and having a solid faith, which
factors into that because a mentor needs to have professional and spiritual integrity.
To know if a mentor is right for me, I want someone that is going to challenge me and my
goals. I know sometimes I can aim low, and a mentor would hopefully challenge me to aim
higher. I need someone that is going to motivate me to go above and beyond. It also has to be
someone that I get along with. If I can get along with my mentor, our relationship will never
have good outcomes. If they are living a life I aspire for, that could be a good fit.
In my life, I have a few different people I would consider mentors. When considering starting a
Ph.D. program, there were two of them I turned to. When I began to narrow it down to what
major I would take, I asked them how they thought the different majors would fit with my goals
and other degrees. When it comes down to precisely the Doctoral in Strategic Leadership, I am
able to turn to several people I look to as a mentor for guidance. Even in writing this post, I
texted them for their input and thoughts. Each of them, in their own professional lives, are
leaders in their personal lives. They also have a firm spiritual life to give guidance from as well.
One other thing I want out of a mentor is one that is going to equip me to become a
mentor to others in the future. To become a mentor, you may be emulating those that mentored
you. Sometimes mentoring may be natural and not specifically teaching you to become a mentor
(Hamilton et al., 2016). I feel that giving back needs to be a goal of everyone that has had a
mentor in their lives. It is selfish of us not to give back if we are able to. "As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17, New Living Translation). The mentors in your
lives should inspire you to become a mentor in the future.
References
Hamilton, J., Stevens, G., & Girdler, S. (2016). Becoming a mentor: The impact of training and
the experience of mentoring university students on the autism spectrum.<PLOS ONE,<11(4),
1–13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153204<
Holy bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Rolfe, A. (2017). What to look for in a mentor.<Korean Journal of Medical Education,<29(1), 41–
43. https://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2017.52<
Response 1: Jason Philson
I enjoyed reading your post. When it came to how a mentor would help in relation to the
Doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL) program, you answered being available. You went on to
say how you would utilize them when teaching in a Christian school setting. How would you
want them to be available for the DSL program? In one article I read, some of the way to ensure
mentor availability was to live in proximity of each other, schedule times with an agenda, and
utilize all forms of communication (Wang & Wang, 2017). I know for myself these are some
valuable tips. I will set scheduled times to talk with my mentor. I also know they are available to
text with me when more pressing questions arise. Living in proximity is not as highly ranked, but
I know I get a more worthy time when I can have in-person face-to-face time with my mentor.
A verse from the bible I would want my mentor to follow is "Instruct the wise, and they
will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more" (Proverbs 9:9, New
Living Translation).
One thing I think is helpful in the long run with utilizing a mentor is to make sure I have
good time management. If I have good time management skills, that will benefit my schooling,
work-life, personal life, volunteer life, and my relationship with my mentor. "Managing time
requires skills such as recognizing priorities, being effective in planning, and being able to
shorten the duration of workload" (Demirdağ, 2021). When we use our time management skills
to plan our life activities, personal and professional goals, it will make the time we have with our
mentors at its maximum production.
References
Demirdağ, S. (2021). The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction in the Relationship between Time
Management and Communication Skills.<Educational Administration: Theory &
Practice,<27(1), 967–984. https://doi.org/10.14527/kuey.2021.002
Holy bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Wang, J. Y., & Wang, F. Y. (2017). Ensuring success of a residents-as-mentors program:
Promoting mentor availability.<Journal of Graduate Medical Education,<9(6), 784.
https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-17-00523.1
Response 2: David Bascom
Reading through your post, something that stuck out to me was your thought on having a good
relationship with your mentor. I am not sure I could have a mentor that I didn't click with right
away. I think there is a relationship already established even before asking someone to be your
mentor. When you have that established relationship, we can apply "Walk with the wise and
become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble" (Proverbs 13:20, New Living Translation).
For me, it was interesting to learn in my research how age and gender are not relevant (Gisbert-
Trejo et al., 2019). As I looked at those people in my life, I have had a mix of men and women
mentors. I will note that the male mentors I have had have always been rooted in their faith. I am
not sure I would be comfortable if they were not in the day and age, we live in. I am glad to have
good mentors in my life currently because I know in the long run, it is going to benefit me.
Having a mentor that is invested in me is going to help my career in a positive way, along with I
have one that is a considerable influence in wanting to see me succeed in my education
aspirations (Jain et al., 2016). I hope this discussion post left you with a good foundation of what
and how to find a mentor soon. Good luck with your search.
References
Gisbert-Trejo, N., Landeta, J., Albizu, E., & Fernández-Ferrín, P. (2019). Determining effective
mentor characteristics in inter-organizational mentoring for managers: an approach based
on academics’ and practitioners’ perspectives.<Industrial & Commercial Training,<51(2),
85–103. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-06-2018-0051
Jain, R., Chaudhary, B., & Jain, N. (2016). Impact of mentoring on academic performance &
career self-efficacy of business students.<Indian Journal of Industrial Relations,<51(4),
684–693.
Holy bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
