Building a network of advisors is an essential aspect of leadership, as it allows us to tap into the skills and experiences of others to achieve more than we could on our own. But once you have a network of advisors, how do you make the most of that relationship?

In the previous section, we discussed the importance of starting off with a deep understanding of what you want to get out of your relationship with the advisor, and what the advisor wants to get out of the relationship with you. Without this understanding, it’s difficult to know if you’re making the best use of the advisor’s time and your own time.

Another key element of making the most of your relationship with advisors is proper preparation. Before each session, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you want to get out of that particular session, and to come armed with specific questions and areas you want feedback on. Additionally, it’s important to leave each session with actionable items for both you and the advisor to follow up on. This ensures that the sessions don’t just become casual conversations, but that they have tangible outcomes and progress towards achieving your goals.

In addition to preparation, it’s important to keep in mind that the benefits of the coaching and mentoring sessions come after the sessions themselves. So, taking time to reflect and make use of the advice and guidance you received during the sessions is crucial in making the most of the relationship. The benefits of having a mentor or a coach is to have actionable outcomes that help to guide the conversation and relationship towards a specific goal. It is highly advised to use tools such as to-do list, calendar, or just email or text message to keep track of what needs to be done.