the power of having mentors
DESCRIPTION
My brush with failure in my senior year of college taught me a lot about the power of having mentors. Because of these mentors, I was able to accomplish incredible goals in a short period of time. Today, they still contribute greatly to my success.TRANSCRIPT
The Power of Having Mentors
Nikki NixonMarketing Technology Manager, SalesLoft@techmarketeratl
@techmarketeratl
But There’s One Thing Most People
Don’t Know….
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I Almost Did Not Graduate College!
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For Most Of My College Career…
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And Then This Happened…
My Snow Day Lasted TWO MONTHS!
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Finally, A Wakeup Call…
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A Plane Ride That Would Change My Life…
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And A Perfect Storm For The Wake Up Call I Needed!
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For A Total of Four Hours, All I Could Do Is Think!
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And Then This Happened…
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The Reality Set In…
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I Had Senioritis!
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How Did I Turn It Around?
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W.W.K.P.D?
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The Light Bulb Moment
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I Needed Mentors!
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Kyle Sends A Weekend Update Every Sunday To Team And Mentors.
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Includes Three Things:
What we accomplished for the past weekWhat we plan to accomplish for the next weekAny roadblocks that could get in our way of success
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There Is Transparency And Accountability!
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Which Was Just What The Doctor Ordered!
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How Did I Choose My Mentors?
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Already Successful
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Brutally Honest
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Trustworthy
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Comfortable With Transparency
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Make Time To Help
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Stay Positive
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Let’s Recap: Qualities Of A Mentor
Already SuccessfulBrutally HonestTrustworthyComfortable With TransparencyMake Time To HelpStay Positive
Where Did I Find Them?
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In My Network
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What If I Don’t Have a Network?
Startup Chicks LinkedInTwitterOther Meetup Groups
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LinkedIn Connect Strategies
Search for people who fit your ideal mentor profileReach out with a connect requestCustomize the request and explain who you are
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LinkedIn Connect Strategies
Follow up with a meeting requestAssuming meeting is positive, ask to keep in touch post-meeting
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Twitter Connect Strategies
Search for people who fit your ideal mentor profileStart engaging with their tweets (Comments, Favorites and Retweets)Share relevant industry articles with them.
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Twitter Connect Strategies
Once they respond positively and more frequently, either connect on LinkedIn or Direct Message on TwitterProceed with asking for meeting like with LinkedIn Strategy
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How Did I Ask Them To Be My Mentor?
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Sent An Email To Prospective Mentors
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What Did I Include?Already Considered Them An Informal MentorNeeded Help Getting Over The Finish Line to GraduationShared My Intention of Sending Regular Updates
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What Did I Include?Asked for Positive and Constructive FeedbackIncluded First Month’s Game Plan Including Senioritis as a RoadblockPromised to Pay It Forward One Day
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What Was The Response?
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2 Out of 3 People Agreed to Help
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Both Were Honored That I Had Chosen
Them For This.
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Some Of Their Responses Included:
“On Senioritis, I Don’t Want To See That Again. You Are Smart and Should Be
Able to Figure It Out.”
“Ok Nikki. It’s Time to Get to Work”
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It Was Awful Tasting Medicine…
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But I Knew That I Was On The Right Track!
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What Happened
Next?
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Early Mornings
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Long Nights In The Library
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Tough Mentor Conversations
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What Was The Outcome?
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I Graduated!
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What Can You Learn From My Brush
With Failure?
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Know What You Want To Accomplish
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Think About The Qualities You Want
In A Mentor
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Identify Those People Who Have
Those Qualities
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Establish Relationships With Potential Mentors
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Nurture That Relationship And MAKE THE ASK!
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Agree On Expectations For The Relationship
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Follow Through On Your Promises.
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Find Ways To Give Back.
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Let’s Discuss:What Has Worked
For You?
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Reach Out: [email protected]: @techmarketeratl
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nikkinixon
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