Networking with Mentors

Don’t wait to be discovered by someone at work and hope it all works out. There aren’t a lot of CIOs who look like me or have a background like mine. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who believed in me. From my first job at JPMorgan to my current position at Nuveen, a TIAA company, there have been mentors at every step along the way who invested their time and energy in me, and it’s clear that there’s still no substitute for people who go out of their way to help develop others. We usually think about #mentors as people at work who take us under their wing and sponsor us when it comes to career development opportunities and promotions. Those people are important, but there’s no reason you have to limit your network of mentors to leaders at your current place of #employment. According to the Harvard Business Review, Asian American Pacific Islander professionals represent 12% of the workforce in this country but are the least likely cohort to have strong networks working on their behalf, and the least likely to be promoted to management positions. In my mind, these two things are absolutely interrelated. So as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, my advice to that community of professionals is this: Don’t wait to be discovered by someone at work and hope it all works out. Build your own personal advisory board of people who know you, believe in you, and can help you find the #career development opportunities that over time will course-correct the reality faced by so many of our peers today. #AAPIHM

Mentorship has been a cornerstone of my career, but my approach to building a network of mentors has evolved over time. Early on, I thought the best mentors were those who mirrored my role—essentially a more successful, more experienced version of myself. But I’ve since realized that this myopic approach often misses the mark. Some of the most valuable mentors I’ve had weren’t in venture capital at all. They came from adjacent industries like asset management, tackling challenges that are analogous to mine but offering perspectives I couldn’t see from within my own field. Here’s why this works: 1. Outside perspectives reveal blind spots: Mentors outside your industry can identify dynamics in your business that might be invisible to you because you're too close to them. These insights are invaluable for seeing the bigger picture. 2. Diverse thinking adds depth: A broader, more diverse network of mentors exposes you to new ways of solving problems, offering frameworks and strategies you might not encounter within your immediate circle. Building a mentor base is critical, but diversity is key. Don’t just look for people who are “you in 20 years” with more success. Instead, seek mentors with fresh perspectives and different lenses. That’s where the real value lies.

Scientists, let’s talk about “finding a mentor” versus “drafting a board of advisors for your career” ⤵ There’s only one person who I’ve ever referred to as “my mentor." He was the PI of a lab I worked in during high school. He had high expectations which he knew I could live up to - even when I wasn’t so confident. In hindsight, I see how he consistently went out of his way to find funding, publication, and conference opportunities for me. He initiated conversations about PhD programs and fellowship applications. I didn’t grow up in a family of scientists, but he made the path to “becoming a scientist” clear. As a true mentor, he ✅ Used his position to connect me with new opportunities ✅ Advocated for me in rooms I wasn’t in ✅ Showed me a clear path to my desired career ✅ Pushed me to aim higher than I believed I could ✅ Helped me develop new skills I think finding a single person who checks all of those boxes is incredible, but also a rarity. What's slightly more attainable: ➡ A board of advisors for your career ⬅ Under this model, you curate a network of folks who you rely on for mentorship. You don’t need to find a single person who can guide you to your dream career. These folks are people who: ✅Are more experienced or more skilled in areas you want to develop (note: this doesn’t always mean they’re “more senior” than you) ✅Advocate for you when you're not around ✅Have achieved something you want to emulate ✅Believe in you in the moments when things get tough ✅Have differing perspectives and thus can challenge and improve your thinking Just as a company’s board of directors is strategically and deliberately made up of people with different backgrounds and expertise, a diverse board of advisors can help you avoid blind spots as you build your career - and really your life. I think this sort of career guidance and support will absolutely accelerate anyone’s career - but it can be just as useful coming from a board of 4-5 people, rather than in the form of a single mentor. Just some musings for a Monday morning #linkedinnewsaustralia

Most people know they need mentors. But they approach it wrong. They look for one person to guide their entire career. Or they collect contacts randomly and call it "networking." Neither works. What does work? Building a strategic network mapped to your actual goals. I use a bullseye exercise with people I coach to help them see who gives them unfiltered feedback (the people who know you at your worst), who understands their professional capabilities (seen you under pressure), and who they need to reach to get to the next level (the outer circle they're working toward). Your mentoring network should have all three layers. And it should evolve as you grow. The people in your outer circle today? They should move inward over time as you develop new relationships with leaders further ahead. Mentoring isn't a life sentence. Your network needs to change as your goals change. Grab a pen and paper to follow along. It takes 10 minutes and gives you a clear map of who's helping you reach your next goal and who's missing.

Stop choosing your mentor by status or title. And avoid this costly career mistake 🚫 75% of executives say mentors matter. But only 37% benefit from formal programs. Why? Because access isn't alignment. The right mentor doesn't just talk. They see you, stretch you, and help you grow. 9 ways to know you've found the *right* mentor 👇 ━━━━━━━━━ 1. They share your scars, not just stories ➟ They've lived your struggles firsthand ➟ They speak from experience, not theory 💡 Ask: "What's the toughest lesson you learned?" ━━━━━━━━━ 2. They read between your lines ➟ When you say "I need growth" ➟ They hear "I need to be seen" 💡 Good mentors hear words. Great ones read silence. ━━━━━━━━━ 3. They spot your patterns ➟ Not just quick fixes ➟ But deeper blocks holding you back 💡 If their insight makes you uncomfortable, they're probably right ━━━━━━━━━ 4. They understand struggle ➟ No fake "I've got it all figured out" ➟ Real talk about real challenges 💡 Growth lives in uncomfortable spaces ━━━━━━━━━ 5. They push with purpose ➟ Not to show their power ➟ But to show your potential 💡 They reveal what's already there ━━━━━━━━━ 6. They learn from you too ➟ It's a two-way street ➟ Your perspective matters 💡 One-sided relationships burn out fast ━━━━━━━━━ 7. They move you to action ➟ Less "interesting perspective" ➟ More "try this tomorrow" 💡 Wisdom without action is just words ━━━━━━━━━ 8. They keep it clear ➟ What they can offer ➟ What they expect back 💡 No mixed signals, no blurred lines ━━━━━━━━━ 9. They track what matters ➟ Not vague promises ➟ But real progress you can see 💡 "Are you growing?" should be easy to answer ━━━━━━━━━ The biggest mistake? 🎯 People chase credentials over connection. They pick status over support. Find someone who sees who you could be. Not just who you are. Someone who helps you become more you. Not more like them. ♻️ Repost to inspire great mentorship. 🎯 Follow me (Meera Remani) for more insights. ━━━━━━━━━ Great mentors want to support high-potential talent. My upcoming masterclass will show you how. Link in comments.

The 10x step process to finding mentors via LinkedIn: 1 - start with people you share something in common with 2 - send connection requests with messages that: Say something nice about them Highlight what you have in common Make SMALL asks like connect & get some advice Note: If you need to use an InMail to fit everything in, you are writing too much Ain't nobody got time for that Keep it under the 300 character limit 3 - if they accept, send them a quick thank you note and a VERY easy question that is very relevant to their field or experience 4 - if they respond, say THANK YOU again 5 - post content & comment on their content (click the subscriber bell if they post at all so you can see it) 6 - ask if they would be open to a short call for advice 7 - if they say yes...schedule and show up prepared for questions 8 - NEVER SEND YOUR RESUME OR ASK FOR A JOB (don't make it awkward...we'll ask for it if we want it) 9 - Take notes during the call and if they recommend you do something...YOU DO IT 10 - Reach back out to let the (now potential mentor) know that: You really appreciate them spending time with you You did what they recommend The results of you doing it If they would mind you asking more questions in the future #quinnsights It doesn't happen overnight But is repeatable and SCALABLE with a networking spreadsheet tracking all of your important conversations & due outs Questions?

My career took a turn when I realized I didn't have to go at it alone. The mentors in my life have been transformative. They've advised me to say NO to bad opportunities. They've given me access to the right opportunities. They've helped me stay grounded after I was fired. They've opened my eyes to areas I was blind to. They've skilled me up in technical areas. Mentorship is gamechanging. But you don’t just need one mentor—you need a team. Who should you recruit to your dream team? Here are the 5 key types of mentors you need in your corner: 💡 THE SAGE The Sage is your go-to for deep industry expertise. They’ve walked the path you’re on and have accumulated wisdom that can help you master your craft. You can rely on them for strategic advice or insights on honing your skills. 🎤 THE ADVOCATE The Advocate is your biggest champion, both within your organization and beyond. They actively promote your strengths, recommend you for new opportunities, and use their influence to open doors. The Advocate is committed to your success. ⛓ THE CONNECTOR The Connector is your broker. They help you build relationships, introduce you to key players, and provide opportunities for you to expand your network. If you’re looking to expand your circle of influence, the Connector is your mentor. 🎾 THE COACH The Coach is your guide and challengers. They actively listen, ask deep questions, and challenge you to think differently. They help you set goals, overcome obstacles, and push you out of your comfort zone to unlock your potential. ⚓ THE ANCHOR The Anchor is your protector and affirmer. They provide a safe space for you to reflect, regroup, and maintain balance. Whether you’re navigating a tough situation or simply need a sounding board, the Anchor helps you stay grounded. Each mentor brings a different strength to the table. Together, they form a dream team. With these five mentors, you’ll be ready to navigate any challenge and seize new opportunities. 💬 Who has played a role in your journey? Tag your mentors or those who’ve influenced you professionally. ♻ If you enjoyed this post, please reshare it with your networks (sharing is caring!). #LinkedInNewsAustralia #Mentorship #Career #Leadership #Networking

"𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗕𝗘 𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗥?" Every week, I get asked, "Will you be my mentor?" Often, this question comes from people I've not met, which makes it somewhat awkward. Here's a fail-proof formula I've used for finding and approaching mentors effectively. Step 1: Have Clarity on Your Goals This clarity helps you identify potential mentors who can truly propel you forward. Your goals don't need to be long-term; they can be something immediate you need help with. Step 2: Start with Your Network Look within your existing network or extend to professionals you admire but haven't met yet. This could be through introductions or shared connections. Mentors don't always come with years of experience over you; peers can be just as insightful. Template Sentence: "I’ve noticed we share a common connection with [Mutual Connection’s Name]. I really admire how you handle [specific skill or achievement], and I’d love to learn from you about this." Step 3: Make a Specific Ask When reaching out, be specific and respect their time. Request a brief conversation, no longer than 30 minutes, focusing on a specific area where their expertise is evident. Template Sentence: "Your skills in [specific area] are truly inspiring. Could I have 30 minutes of your time to understand more about how you developed these abilities and to get your feedback on [specific topic]?" Step 4: Follow Up (The Most Important Step) Post-discussion, always follow up with a thank you message outlining how their advice helped you. This shows appreciation and reinforces the value of their guidance. Template Sentence: "Thank you for your invaluable advice on [topic discussed]. I applied your suggestions at [specific instance], and it made a significant difference. I’m very grateful for your help." Step 5: Continue the Relationship Mentorship isn’t a one-off interaction but a series of meaningful exchanges. Continue to engage your mentor with relevant questions and updates about your progress. Template Sentence: "I’ve recently faced a challenge similar to what we discussed before. Could I get your perspective on this new situation?" Avoid directly asking, "Will you be my mentor?" Instead, build the relationship through respectful, meaningful interactions, and always value their time and input. What's worked for you in seeking mentorship?

“𝘿𝙧. 𝙈𝙘𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧?” “𝙎𝙞𝙧, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚.” “𝘿𝙧. 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙡 𝙈𝙘𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙮, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚.” I get messages like these every day. In my comments, replies, emails, and inboxes. And while I deeply appreciate that many see me as worthy of being a mentor, let me share a hard truth: 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝. Your career is like running a business. In the beginning, you’re a startup: you're testing, failing, learning, and improving. And as you grow, the stakes rise: you’re scaling operations, managing people, and making high-impact decisions. The usual advice? Get a mentor. But let's be honest, mentorship alone has limits. Challenges will come that one mentor alone can’t solve. One mentor won’t have all the answers. They may not even be available when you need them most. What you need is a "personal board of advisors." Just like companies have boards to guide their biggest moves, your career deserves the same structure. Build your board with: - 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨. - 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙞𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝. - 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣. They don’t need to know they’re on your board. They don’t need to meet. This is informal, but it’s incredibly effective. And as your career evolves, so should your board. Rotate people in and out depending on where you are and what you need. This isn’t about waiting for the perfect mentor. It’s about designing a system of support that’s dynamic, strategic, and built for growth. Stop waiting for the perfect mentor. Build your board and run your career like the CEO of your life.

You don't need a mentor. You need a board. Here's how to build a personal advisory group that actually moves your career forward: 1️⃣ Identify 3-5 people who fill different roles. 📌 The Connector: Someone with a strong network who makes introductions. 📌 The Coach: Someone who's 5-10 years ahead in your field and gives tactical advice. 📌 The Challenger: Someone who pushes your thinking and holds you accountable. 📌 The Insider: Someone at a company or in an industry you want to break into. 📌 The Sponsor: Someone senior who advocates for you in rooms you're not in. 2️⃣ Don't ask "Will you be my mentor?" That's vague and puts pressure on them. Instead, build the relationship first. Ask for one conversation. Then another. Then another. If it's valuable for both sides, it becomes ongoing naturally. 3️⃣ Make it easy for them to help you. Don't ask, "What should I do with my career?" Ask: "I'm deciding between two roles. Here's what I'm weighing. What would you consider?" Specific asks get better answers. 4️⃣ Give back. Share articles they'd find useful. Make introductions when you can. Celebrate their wins publicly. The best advisory relationships are two-way. 5️⃣ Schedule check-ins quarterly. You don't need weekly calls. But reaching out every 3 months keeps the relationship warm. Share updates. Ask one focused question. Keep it short. 6️⃣ Rotate your board as you grow. The people who help you early in your career may not be the right advisors later. That's okay. Stay grateful, but keep evolving your circle. You don't need one perfect mentor. You need a diverse group of people who care about your growth. That's how you build a career that compounds. Save this post, and let’s improve your job search strategy.