Find A Mentor

To accelerate your success there is nothing better than selecting and then learning from great mentors. There are too many business managers and executives that have yet to fully adopt mentors that will help accelerate their learning.

I was lucky enough in my career to have three great mentors that I spent an inordinate amount of time with in my early thirties. Each from different backgrounds but chosen carefully to guide me on the career path I had chosen.

My choices came from; Finance (venture), Distribution (selling worldwide), and a public company CEO with impeccable operating experience, leadership and success. Each at different stages of their careers and had similar advice but in very different fields.

One of them told me to “try everything in your twenties, find out what you are good at in your thirties and make money at it in your forties”. He was also wise enough to add that one should spend it in your fifties. He was seventy at the time and gave great experience both inside and outside of work.

Whatever your chosen path is (or if you are still deciding) begin to find mentors that have the experience you are looking for and meet with them on a regular basis to share with them your thoughts and challenges. It’s important to find mentors that you have chemistry with and will dedicate the time to you to share and listen to what your journey is.

One day you may be asked to be that mentor and you’ll enjoy teaching as much as you did/do learning. Make the investment and time now and watch your career accelerate. Good luck.

Nick Hulse is the Chief Revenue Officer of Rubicon Project, and responsible for all customer facing teams, product marketing and international operations. Most recently in Silicon Valley as a software executive, Nick has enjoyed great success in the mobile, software, infrastructure, and services industries over his 20-year career. You can read more from Nick at his blog, Nickhulse.com, where this was originally posted.

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