The secret to success isn’t just about self-belief—it’s about the people who invest in you. But how do you go from simply asking someone to mentor you (and getting an awkward “yes”) to building a truly powerful, symbiotic relationship? Today, April Shprintz reveals the subtle, yet critical, signal that proves you’re worth a mentor’s most valuable asset: their time. Learn the “homework” test, and discover why showing action and generating results is the ultimate secret to unlocking the best mentorship and accelerating your growth in business and life.
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The Secret To Getting The BEST Mentor
The Role Of Self-Belief And Mentorship In Success
I am so glad you are here. I was just asked the question, “What do you attribute most of your success to?” The answer to that is self-belief, but right behind it, like the number one thing, but the number 1.5 thing, is mentorship and people who mentored and made me better. When I answer that way, people say, “How do you get a great mentor?”
It is a great question because it is very nuanced. I can remember a time in my early career when I really wanted someone awesome to mentor me. I asked her to, and I could tell she said yes, almost out of obligation and guilt, but she did not really want to. It did not go far, and it was awkward, and it just did not work. What you will find is that there will be people throughout your life who will take an interest in you, no matter what it is you need mentorship in.
There will be people in the different areas of your life that you are looking to grow in who already have tons of knowledge. They are going to do something that will signal that they are an amazing mentor. If you respond to it in the right way, it will become this fantastic symbiotic relationship. I have been on both sides. I have been the mentee, and I have been the mentor. This is what happens.
The “Homework Test”: Proving You’re Worth A Mentor’s Time Through Action And Results
You are talking to someone about your interest in whatever the subject is. For me, I am going to say leadership because I have loved it my entire life. What they will do is they will recommend something to you. They will give you homework if you want. “You should really read this book by such and such. You should really check out this TED Talk by so and so. You should try this process.” That is homework. That is a bid. That is them allowing you to show up.
When they do, and you take that opportunity, and you run with it, they are then going to understand that you are worth investing their time in. Our time is the most important thing any of us has, and we want to invest in people who are going to use it well, who are going to benefit from it, and who could possibly help others with it because they did such a good job. Be on the lookout for these opportunities. Here is where it can be really helpful.
In my work now, I have gotten to the point where I am not a cost-effective option for everyone. That is a great deal of success for me. That is amazing. It also means that I cannot help absolutely everyone that I would want to help. What I do is set aside a certain part of my business to mentor people. This is how I decide who to mentor. As I am speaking with someone who wants to learn about growing their business and doing these different things, as they change careers or start to be an entrepreneur when they have been super successful in corporate, I will give people this homework.
When you show someone that the time they invest in you will produce dividends—whether for them or for you—and that their effort leads to real results, they’ll be that much more excited to help you. Share on XI had this happen recently with someone who had had an extreme amount of success in her previous life. She had been a world championship boxer, and she was at an event that I was helping with, and I just gave her a couple of small pieces of advice that I thought would really help her in building her next business.
In less than a week, she reached out to me to let me know that she had done the homework, she had read the book, she had tried the process, and it worked really well. Was there anything else she could do? Here is what is amazing. I was so excited to help her. I wanted to gift her more of my time because she was getting results, and she was taking action. Within about two weeks, she had some incredible results that generated real revenue in her business.
She is good to go for the next who knows how long. Because she stepped up, did the things that I asked her to do, I am going to be checking back in on her. This is how great mentorship works. When you show someone that the time that they are investing in you is going to give them dividends, and the dividends do not have to be for them, do not get me wrong. The dividends can be for you, but they are a result of the work that they are doing. They are going to be that much more excited to help you.
Mentorship Principles Apply Everywhere: Action, Feedback, And Relationship Growth
This works everywhere. It works in mentorship, but it works when your boss or another leader in your company gives you advice, and you implement it, and you go back and tell them how it helped you. When a friend of yours gives you a life hack, and you try it, and it makes things way different and better for you, go back to them. Tell them how it helped you.
When you are willing to take the action and to make the effort and then to go back to the people who offered to help you and let them know how incredible it was, you are not only growing as a person, growing in your mentorship, but you are also growing in relationships with other people. Relationships are more important to your life and your business than any skill you are ever going to come up with. Here’s to your success.
