On Mentoring Startups.
My friend Cecile Thirion (@cecilesf) sent me tonight an interesting piece of advice from Henrick Wederlin, startup mentor, to 'mentorees'.
A mentor to early stage startups myself, I have recently helped out SeedCamp last week in both San Francisco and Mountain View with mentoring eleven startups over two days. I have assisted, behind the scenes, Matthieu Dejardins' ambitious NextUser project come all the way through the hurdles of Adeo Ressi's Founder Institute program to graduation. I have mentored many other founders in the past year, trying to give back to the tech entrepreneur community after having benefited from incredible mentors as a mentoree as I was starting, growing, and later exiting Realeyes3D and Qipit.
Googleplex, 1900 Building. Where SeedCamp Mountain View took place last week.
Henrick gives a series of advices to startup founders engaged in a mentorship relationship for them to 'extract the most amount of value" from their mentors (italics are my comments):
Get introductions: this is one immediate value your mentor can give you.
Ask for specifics: in order to avoid 'mentor bias'.
Stay at the top of their minds: yes, mentors are usually busy too!
Get emotional support: one of the key values a mentor can bring.
Pick the right mentor for the right things: know your weak points and get help there.
I couldn't agree more with Hendrick's list. Some of his points are especially relevant for 'spot' mentoring opportunities, such as a SeedCamp or Founder Institute session, where mentors are usually assigned to you.
Luckily, in many situations, the mentor relationship has more time to develop. Whether as part of an organized program such as the French American Chamber of Commerce's Business Booster program, or as an initiative you, the founder, have taken on your own. Weeks, or years. In that case, I would add what I see are four additional essential pieces of advice if you want to maximize the value of mentoring:
Avoid cookie cutter mentoring: make sure your mentor understands your ambition and the specifics of the company you are building. What you want isn't a mentor who will 'dump' his past experiences on you, but rather someone who will participate in your thought process, bringing new light to the problems or situations you face.
Pay attention to the personal fit. Good mentors won't agree to help you if they don't feel the fit is good. But this is best if it is reciprocal. Sounds obvious, however I have seen situations where it wasn't. Not a happy ending.
Commit to the relationship beyond the short term. The greatest value will be obtained after a genuine, personal connection with the mentor has been established, and the mentor feels that her contribution makes a difference. This doesn't happen overnight.
Incentivate your mentor. The longer the relationship, the more efficient this will prove. Whether you chose to grant your mentor discretionary stock options, or you introduce you to your Board or associate him to your success through company celebrations, you will benefit from making the mentor feels she is part of the team-at-large, not just a hidden secret you keep up your sleeve!
__________________________
Full article: "Five Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Mentor" -- Fast Company.
