The Recipes From the C-Suite December blog will be titled “Are You My Mentor?”  I am drawing inspiration from the Dr. Seuss book, Are You My Mother?  I assume most of you have read the story.  If not, the story is about a baby bird who hatches from his egg to find himself alone in his nest.  He wanders from animal to animal looking for his mother to no avail.  The kitten, the hen, the dog, the cow…. Were not his mother.  While on his mission, the baby bird says:

              “I have to find my mother! He said.  But where?  Where is she?  Where could she be?”

Finally, he returns to his nest, and shortly thereafter, to his relief, so does his mother.  Why is this relevant?  Because that baby bird needs his mother to nurture him, teach him, guide him, show him how to find food, much like we all do in our careers.  We all need guidance. 

As you navigate your career, no matter where you are in that journey, having a mentor is critical to success.  No matter if we are an entry level clerk or a CEO, we don’t and never will know everything, or know how to handle every situation.  As I stated in my November blog, What am I Worth?, I often consult my trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary to give me perspective on words or topics.

Merriam-Webster defines a mentor as:

              A trusted counselor or guide

In this month’s blog I will talk about how to find a mentor and what a mentor can do for your career.  I will also talk about some of my experiences with mentor relationships that worked and those that didn’t.  That’s right, not everyone is a great mentor or your mentor might not be a great fit for you!