92: How to Find a Mentor with the Generosity Principle | Feedback Friday

Finding Mentors

Finding a mentor is more about creating value than making direct requests. Jordan Harbinger emphasizes the importance of identifying a potential mentor's needs and fulfilling them without expecting anything in return. This approach, part of his ABG generosity principle, involves offering help, such as improving presentation slides, to build a relationship based on value 1.

You build the relationship from there using further generosity, ongoing conversations, updates to this slide deck, whatever it is, and then you direct the social capital that you build there to mentorship.

--- Jordan Harbinger

This method not only helps in getting noticed but also lays a foundation for a meaningful connection 2.

   

Building Relationships

Building and maintaining mentor relationships requires a focus on mutual benefit and ongoing support. Jordan Harbinger advises against labeling relationships strictly as mentor-mentee, as it can create unnecessary expectations. Instead, he suggests fostering genuine connections by consistently providing value and being open to learning from each other 2.

The better approach is just to build good relationships with good people, invest in them generously and without expecting or being attached to something in return.

--- Jordan Harbinger

Jason DeFillippo shares his experience with Joi ITO, highlighting how offering help without asking for anything in return led to a fulfilling relationship 1.