If your company doesn’t have a formal mentoring program in place or if there is one, the target group for the program does not include you, how can you benefit from a mentor? Getting the most out of a mentor is not dependent on whether or not there is a formalized program. In fact, many successful mentoring relationships are informal. Here are some steps for you to engage with an informal mentor:

1. Think about the areas you would benefit from having a mentor. Examples could be leadership skills, developing strategy or organizational skills.

2. Identify the individuals who exhibit characteristics or are role models of the areas you would like to further develop. Think of the individuals inside or outside of your direct line management, in a different department or outside of the company in which you work. Do you respect these individuals and would you learn from them? List each name with bullet points of the positive aspects of having them as a mentor and what the constraints are, if any.

3. Reach out to your first choice. If the individual is within your direct line management, you’ll need to first check in with your manager. When you reach out to your first choice mentor, explain to him/her why you are reaching out to him/her and the purpose of the mentoring. If your first choice declines, don’t worry and reach out to your second choice.

4. Once a mentor agrees to the relationship, tap into your HR partner or your Organizational Development or Learning department to see if there are any resources they can provide to help support you (questionnaires, self assessments, agenda templates, best practices articles on mentoring, etc.)

5. Remember that a successful mentoring relationship is when the mentee drives the agenda. When meeting up with your mentor for the first time, establish rapport by disclosing basic information about yourselves. Set the agenda for the next meeting on what to discuss and what areas to work on.

6. Regularly check in on the relationship. Even if you are meeting with your mentor regularly, check in with him/her on how the relationship is developing and if both of you are benefiting from it.

7. View the mentoring partnership as a holistic one, where you gain a perspective and approach to issues that you can refer to throughout your life. Don’t approach the relationship as a transactional one, where your mentor only helps you achieve short term and short sighted professional goals.

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