Is there such thing as a perfect mentor? Well, to answer that question, let’s pose an equally loaded one: is there such thing as a perfect person? Absolutely not! That idea is nonsensical. While there’s no such thing as a perfect mentor—and certainly no such thing as a perfect person—there are phenomenal mentors and incredible people. More than that, though, there are collectives of fantastic mentors and people that come together to help one another and propel each other to greater and greater success.

So, no, there isn’t such thing as a perfect mentor, but there are a thousand ways to be a wonderful mentor, and thousands of mentors you can look up to for different levels of guidance.

Great Mentors Work in Teams

Great mentors rarely fly solo. They’re the ones who can be found with an extensive network of contacts, people they know, and hands they’ve shaken. They’re connected, and they love introducing potentially great fits to one another.

When you’re attempting to be a great mentor or find a great mentor, you need only look for the people who seem to love making connections and casting positive nets. It takes knowing a great mentor to become a great mentor, after all.

Spectacular Mentors Work For You

The most spectacular mentors are the ones who aren’t in the game to advance themselves. They’re looking to help others and lay groundwork for the next successful generation of people. That’s why the most influential and helpful mentors are the ones who aren’t working for themselves; they’re working for you.

If you’re wanting to be a spectacular mentor, know that you’ll have to be in it to win it and have a positive attitude and a desire to help others, even if it means you do nothing for yourself in the process.

The Best Mentors Work With You

All of that being said, the onus is not all on the mentor to do the work for his or her mentees. The best mentors are the ones that work with you more than anything else. They’re there to help guide and motivate and steer you in the right direction.

In order to be the best possible mentor, you have to be willing and able to work well with others to achieve their dreams. And that’s about as close to perfect as you can get.