Matt Higgins, the “Shark Tank” investor and RSE Ventures CEO, has shared his number one piece of advice for finding a highly successful mentor: don’t ask anyone to mentor you. Higgins expressed his dislike for cold-message mentorship requests during Tuesday’s CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual event, stating that mentorships don’t just form from two strangers.
Higgins believes that a request for mentorship from a stranger can come off as demanding and transactional. Instead, he suggests reaching out to someone you want to enlist as a mentor with a specific question for advice. By doing so, you can start to build a relationship that may eventually lead to mentorship. For example, Higgins mentioned that you could ask him about his struggle with impostor syndrome and ask for a sentence of advice ahead of a big interview. He emphasized the importance of asking discrete questions that make it easier for someone to help you.
Putting ego aside and asking for help is not embarrassing, according to Higgins. Although he admits that he wasn’t always comfortable with it, he has learned to embrace “the indignity of putting [himself] out there and DMing folks and explaining [his] mission.”
Higgins isn’t the only “Shark Tank” star to weigh in on mentorship. In a 2020 interview, Mark Cuban expressed skepticism towards mentors, considering them a shortcut to success. While he acknowledged the potential value of mentors and coaches, Cuban cautioned against individuals who claim to make others rich without having achieved success themselves.
On the other hand, Daymond John, another “Shark Tank” investor, has a more positive view of mentorship. He shared that learning how to bounce back from failure with the help of mentors has changed his life. John emphasized that mentors can be found all around in our community, not necessarily as billionaires or CEOs, but as ordinary people who are willing to help.
In conclusion, finding a highly successful mentor involves building a relationship based on specific questions and seeking advice rather than directly asking for mentorship. While opinions on mentorship vary among “Shark Tank” investors, the value of mentors and their impact on individuals’ lives cannot be underestimated.