How to Be Awesome at Your Job 1109: How to Find Great Mentors and Build Your Legacy with Dr. Deborah Heiser
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Nov 10, 2025 Dr. Deborah Heiser, an applied developmental psychologist and CEO of The Mentor Project, dispenses wisdom on mentorship's multifaceted nature. She highlights the core human need mentorship fulfills and offers advice on finding mentors in unexpected places. The conversation delves into the concept of lateral mentoring and the importance of small, specific requests to initiate mentorship. Deborah also discusses the generativity stage in midlife, emphasizing how and why individuals seek to give back, ultimately guiding listeners to build their own mentorship legacy.
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Mentorship Is Everywhere
- Mentorship happens in families, religion, and daily traditions just as much as at work.
- Most people already mentor or are mentored but fail to recognize it.
Use The Five-Ingredient Mentorship Checklist
- Ensure mentorship includes generativity, intrinsic motivation, meaningful connection, trust, and a goal.
- If any component is missing, the relationship won't function as true mentorship.
Start With One Small Ask
- Start mentorship requests with a tiny, specific ask like "show me the lay of the land."
- Use that short ask to test compatibility before committing to a longer relationship.
