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What I look for in a mentor

(This is no secret.  Mark Beeson is one of the greatest mentors on the planet!)

As I sit at camp this morning I can't help but think about all the "mentoring" that is going to go on this week.  Mentoring is one of my passion areas and I study Paul and Timothy a lot to see how to get better at both ends of it.  I've always had a really closed mind about mentoring relationships.  I believe that while I can learn from anyone, there are flat out some people I DON'T want to learn from.  Just sayin.

Here's some things I've always looked for in a mentor:

1. Unforced Relationship.  Don't try to force it, if it doesn't happen naturally, let it go.

2. Mutually beneficial.  It shouldn't be one-sided, both people should benefit from the interaction.

3. Reputation.  This one is a soft-side sort of judgment call but I actively seek people who have a good track record or some history of success when it comes to mentoring.

4. Knowledge in an area i'm pursing.  Is there legitimately an area this person can help me with.

5. Trustworthy.  Can I trust them with my life, family, thoughts, vision, dreams, innovations.

(Just to name a few of the big ones.)  

Some things you deliberately did not see on my list:

1. MOST sought after.  I could care less who MOST PEOPLE wish they could be mentored by.  I need what I need.

2. MOST recognized.  I don't look for the most recognizable person and seek a relationship with them.

3. Credentials. Sometimes there's an area I need help with that doesn't require a PH.D it simply requires life experience. 

4. Older.  I don't deliberately look for someone older than me.

(Note: if a person has these, it's not a knock against them by any means.  These are just things that I don't specifically look for in a mentoring relationship.)