I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Jeff Myers in college and he introduced me to the art of mentoring.  My life hasn’t been the same since.  Unfortunately none of us will ever get an audience with King Solomon, but there are plenty of “Solomons” out there we can and should be seeking out.  Many people refer to them as mentors.  Think of a mentor as simply someone who is wiser, more knowledgeable, or has more experience than you in a certain area.  They could be older or younger than you.  And since we are never the best and brightest at everything,  there are always plenty of potential mentors all around us.  We simply need to be proactive.

Mentors help us go further faster.

So how can you get the most from the mentors in your life?  Here are five easy ways:

Think of an area you want to learn more about or grow in.

This will help you determine the person you want to get input from, either professionally or personally. If you want to improve your leadership ability, you should look for someone with wisdom, knowledge, or experience in leadership.  The same goes for writing, selling, buying a house, starting a business, studying for the MCAT, exploring careers in web design, social networking, etc. The options are literally limitless.

Identify a potential mentor and seek an audience.

Okay, that sounds a little formal.  But the important thing to keep in mind is that they are the giver and you are the receiver.  Therefore, tell your potential mentor what you are trying to learn more about and that you value their input and will accommodate their schedule.  You can invite him or her to breakfast or coffee, offer to stop by their office, ask for a reasonable amount of time on the telephone or video chat, or simply include your questions in an email.  If your potential mentor is not a current acquaintance, ask a mutual friend to introduce you.

Have a list of questions prepared.

Here are some of the tried-and-true favorites I’ve acquired.  I also found this great list of leadership questions from Michael Hyatt.

Make it a pleasant experience for your mentor.

Make sure to thank you mentor for his or her time.  If there is anything helpful or valuable you can provide, then don’t hesitate to offer it, such as briefly sharing what you’re learned already or a resource you’ve really benefited from.  And incidentally, don’t feel the need to call your mentor a “mentor!”  If they get the impression they’ve signed up for more than they’ve bargained for, it can lead to an unpleasant experience for them!

Take Action.

Take the insight you’ve gained from your mentor and put it to use. See how far it takes you. Usually when we take a first step, we can then see far enough to take the next one. After you’ve taken action, you may have more questions. At this point it may be appropriate to check in with a mentor again, either the same one or another. But try to utilize your own research ability first – there’s a lot of information available at the click of a mouse!

Is there a professional mentoring program in place at your job? Read my post next week to learn how to start a professional mentoring program for your organization.

What area is “mentor-worthy” for you right now?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

Here are a few strategies I’ve had a lot of success with:

Start with the Books You Like Most

What books are on your favorite book list?  Which authors give you the most idea?  Have they written any other books?  A simple Amazon search can show you not only what other books they’ve written, but also which books customers also bought.

Follow Your Favorite Authors and Thought Leaders

Nowadays, authors cannot simply write books.  They must have a social media and blog presence.  Look them up on Twitter and follow them.  Subscribe to their blogs.  Most all of them will share frequent updates on new projects they are working on, blogs they’ve posted, or books they are reading.  This is a great way to get the inside scoop.

Determine What You Want to Learn About Next

This is a bit of a no-brainer, but it’s really an important question given the number of titles available.  If you have a leadership gap, start there.  Or if you are curious and really want to learn about something new (like how to improve your team, how have tough conversations, or how to lead meetings), start there.  Or if you simply have a leadership concern, start there.

Phone a Friend

Do you know any leadership experts, junkies, or someone who simply reads a lot?  Ask what they are reading.  When I get to spend time with leaders I look up to, I try to always ask what they are reading and usually get a long list – and I have gotten some of my favorite books this way.

Utilize a Suggested Reading List

When I was a senior in college, one of my classmates and I decided we ought to start reading some business and leadership books to make sure what was selling on the market was in sync with our expensive textbooks.  In our case, we simply looked at the New York Times Bestseller List for Business Books.  It was a start.  By now there are all kinds of leadership book lists like the ones on 800CEORead or clubs like The Executive Book Club.  You might even publish your own list like I did here.

Leave a comment sharing which book you are reading right now and how you chose that title.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.