People with mentors perform better!

I advise my clients to find a mentor. Now I read in HBR that research shows that people with mentors perform better, advance in their careers faster, and even experience more work-life satisfaction. And.. the mentors benefit too.
After all, “to teach is to learn twice.” Despite all these benefits, and even though 76% of working professionals believe that a mentor is important to growth, more than 54% do not have such a relationship.
The problem is often that people don’t know how to find a mentor or establish a relationship. The following steps can help.

Define your goals and specific needs.
Write the “job description” of your ideal mentor. From what type of professional can you learn?
Share with others that you seek a mentor.
Make the ask (and keep it simple).
Have a first meeting to see if you can agree on mutual expectations.
Create a structured accountability process with a mentorship agreement.
Start simply.
Continue to follow up and say thank you.
Check now and then if the meetings are still according to mutual expectations.