I believe mentoring is what allowed me to qualify for MDRT in my third year as a financial advisor, then Court of the Table in my fourth year and Top of the Table in my fifth year. I would have been 10 years behind that path without strong mentorship.
I suggest that anybody who wants to level up in their career should find a mentor who they connect well with. MDRT is a great place to find mentors because it provides opportunities to connect with people from around the world. If you visit mdrt.org, you can find those opportunities through meetings. People who are not yet MDRT members, you can find opportunities through the MDRT Mentoring Program.
Once you find your mentor, it’s important to listen to that person and create an atmosphere where you’re allowing yourself to be mentored. In a mentoring relationship, it’s critical to not take things personally. Instead, open up and take the feedback as feedback. Then apply as much of the skills and knowledge as you can through that mentor relationship.
Learn more about how to find mentors and how to make that relationship work in Perkins’ video on mdrt.org.
I realize for mentors it’s difficult to give negative feedback, and it’s difficult for mentees to hear it. Yet, if you can take it as simply feedback, you can move past it to continue growing your success.
Ryan Perkins is a seven-year MDRT member and a Top of the Table member.
For more on mentoring, read
- “The career magic of mentoring”
- “Debunking mentoring myths” (MDRT member-exclusive content)
