What to do when you do not have a mentor at your workplace?

“My workplace has lot of politics.”

“I like my job, but my manager is a dick.”

“Whenever I go to my manager, I feel like my work becomes more confusing, I wish I had a better boss.”

“I feel like I am being ignored at my workplace.”

There is always at least one person who has similar kind of problems at a workplace. Especially at a competitive workplace.

These individuals end up feeling unwanted or inferior or even incompetent sometimes. These kinds of situations are unavoidable in the modern work environment.

Lot of times, good employees end up underperforming or even quitting a good gig because they ended up with a team or a manager who is not able to extract the most out of them.

Reality is there are always going to be some teams which are better suited for you than others and just like finding a great job, finding a great mentor is a difficult task which takes lots of patience & luck.

So, until you find someone like that, these are the trick and techniques to keep doing kickass work:

Take ownership of your work & therefore your career:

As the saying goes, ‘Do not ever trust someone until they earn it.’ This goes super well with choosing your colleagues. Never hand over keys to your success to someone who you do not trust. They may end up using you for their own benefit, worse end up wasting your talent for their mediocre agendas.

Simple rule I follow is, take ownership of the task at hand and imagine as if you are the single person who is leading the meeting. Build your argument the best you can and go put it in front of the bigger audience to judge. You will be surprised how many times what you end up delivering is way better than what you would have if you would have wasted time waiting for the big B to give you direction.

People who think a mentor is the key to success may lack confidence in their own ability to take initiative. Taking initiative never fails. People may label you as someone who is overenthusiastic, but that is never a bad thing.

Get value from peers:

Many a times, one tends to get stuck with one person in the organization of 1000+ people. Maybe there are 100 others who can give you the insight you need. Find peers who are willing to work with you and huddle with them.

But be careful about the fact that they may not be the brightest of the bunch. So draw value from those who have value to give.

Even though a mentor is not necessary to success does not mean that you should ignore the opportunity of turning to your peers for guidance. You will be surprised how many leaders in your organization are looking for a great resource like you for their unattended tasks. Obviously make sure you are dumped with random tasks. But be open to helping others.

Try to stay under the radar for few projects to avoid creating ego clashes. But do not shy away from putting those extra hours to build up your rapport with other teams.

Adapt with the new world:

As technology continues to accelerate the rate of change, many would-be mentors are finding their approach outdated and obsolete. They find they actually have a lot to learn from younger generations. Instead of using experienced senior leaders as mentors to younger colleagues, some companies are reversing roles.

Focus on getting the new skills from younger peers. Use newer techniques, adapt new technology & define your own way of solving problems instead of coming up with a solution the old fashioned way. Though it works, nobody hates someone who is willing to bring a new perspective and innovate at work.

Become better networker:

When you do not have the back of a mentor, it helps to have other people who know you. Network is the key to grow in corporations. It helps to create a reputation as well. Avoid relying on conventional workplace events like social gatherings to build your network, instead create some activity which will add some practical info or skill among the members of your network. For example: An internal newsletter or internal insight depository to help others extract value out of the network.

Try to help the newcomers:

New fish in the pond are always the low hanging fruits. Help those who are new to the system. Given your experience with the on-goings, this can not only help you but also the organization.

Lot of times, this can give you access to the best talent in the organization. Also this creates a sense of sincerity and showcases how you are willing to help the organization as a whole when you have no-one to give you direction.

Avoid giving them cautionary tales, instead guide them with the best practices of your organization and taking fresher perspective from them for your own work.