Getting Best Results from Mentor Relationships -

Thoughts for Founders and CEOs of Early Stage Technology Companies

Dave Litwiller

Executive-in-Residence, Communitech

November, 2012

Meet regularly with your mentor. Doing so keeps the best of the mentor’s network and

experience working on behalf of your business. Do not wait until a crisis has emerged before

getting in touch. At the crisis point, options are limited and the mentor’s ability to help more

restricted. Response options are best when opportunities and difficulties are discussed when they

are first emerging. Meetings should take place on a steady cadence, usually between weekly and

monthly depending on how rapidly the business is developing and how much time the mentor

can dedicate.

Have a balanced dialog. Discuss the good and the not-so-good with equal vigor. The place for

upbeat salesmanship is elsewhere in your business relationships. A mentor can only provide the

best help and advice when she is fully aware of the good and the bad.

Prepare and be efficient. Always be ready for mentor meetings with a list: what went well

since we last met; what did not go well or as planned; what major changes and learning have

taken place; what are the top priorities for the weeks ahead; what help you need; and, what has

you most worried or where you are most seeking input. Having this update format in mind

beforehand ensures key facts are at your fingertips making dialog with your mentor fast and

effective.

Follow up. You can’t and shouldn’t follow all of the advice a mentor gives you. Nevertheless,

to keep the relationship at full vibrancy over time, you need to able to support why you went

other ways than a mentor suggested during past meetings when you sought specific advice on

major decisions. Doing so shows respect for the mentor’s time and outlook, even when

decisions needed to go another way.

Do what you say and say what you do. Exhibiting integrity and being someone who gets

things done is what makes a mentor want to build the relationship over time.

Protect your mentor’s reputation and personal network. Doing so ensures that the mentor

will be willing to bring the best of himself and his network to your business over the long term.

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