One of the most common questions we’re asked at Bolster is how to help a CEO find a mentor or advisor. While we love this question (after all, it’s always a good idea to look for ways to level up your personal growth and development!), the truth is that there’s a lot of nuance involved.
As a CEO, you are likely surrounded by people who offer all sorts of well-meaning advice and opinions. It can be tricky to know who to look to for which type of guidance, and where to seek out gaps in your personal advisory board.
While there’s no “one size fits all” secret formula to managing your network of advisor, investor, and mentor relationships, we’ve observed some patterns and best practices over the years. Below, you’ll find our “cheat sheet” to advisor relationships.
We cover the basics of what expectations to set and how to leverage advice from the following:
- Executive Coaches
- CEO Mentors
- Investors
- Independent Directors
- Executive Team
- Peer CEOs
- Accelerator or Studios
Feel free to download this guide as an easy reference here.
If you’re looking for ongoing mentorship and scaling support, we’d love to invite you to apply for Bolster Prime, an 18-month program for the startup CEO. We’ll pair you up with a great ex-operator who’s “been there, done that” and can guide you through the scaling pain points over 18 months. Learn more at: https://bolster.com/prime
Or, sign up for a free Bolster client account and browse our marketplace of 7,500+ executives at any time on your own. Learn more at https://bolster.com/for-clients
-Bethany Crystal, May 31, 2022
