

A better mentor manifesto? - simonebrunozzi
http://brunozzi.com/2015/03/03/a-better-mentor-manifesto/

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SteB
Nice, having just completed our path at 500Startups and with a few mentors in
my current startup and in my previous business experiences I think I can add
something useful from the point of view of the "mentored":

1 - Do no try to mentor too many startups

Useless - I saw this at 500Startups. Too many people are mentoring too many
startups. For the entrepreneur or the team you are mentoring the most
important thing is bringing your experience to the table. Your specific
experience in a specific field, most of the time. There are exceptions, but
try to be the mentor of a few set of startups (2 to 4) and focus on them with
clear goals also on your side.

2 - Real examples (don't be vague)

Many times after a mentor meeting, as an entrepreneur, you will feel totally
lost. You have different mentors and everyone is just telling you different
things. You are the one taking the final decision. In this case I usually rely
on examples and experiences from those mentors: when you are trying to suggest
an option, a specific path or a solution, bring a real example in your
conversation. That will create trust and differentiate your opinion from
thousands of other comments.

3 - Mentorship is a long path

The best mentors I had were "following" me. That's not having a conversation
for an hour or just asking for a couple of suggestions and that's also why, as
a mentor, you should be super clear on what you expect in return - it's just
the best way to start that relationship.

Just another note. Most of the people that used to be my mentors became very
close friends. In most cases we used to do business together and the fact I
was younger helped me getting the best out of that relationships. If you are
doing a startup you should try to work with other entrepreneurs that love to
be mentors or at least with people that have been in your position before -
that will make all the difference.

