“Don’t bring me problems,” my boss would say. “Bring me solutions.” I was so green in the workplace; just out of college and soaking in the advice of any professional in my industry. When my boss (and owner of the company) said this, I immediately thought I had done something wrong. “How could I not know this?” I wondered. I remember slinking back to my desk. Being so new to the job, I didn’t figure I had any expertise and didn’t want to make mistakes.

At first, what would result would be all-out efforts to find solutions. Random issues would arise, I would come up with solutions and not go back to my boss for help. I would ask co-workers for advice, many of whom had been told the same adage from the boss, and roll along. In retrospect, I don’t know if the solutions were the best for the problems. Maybe if I’d had more gumption at age 22, I would have brought ideas but I lacked the confidence to accept taking risks.  I was working long hours at a new job in a new town and was newly married. I needed some guidance. After a while, there were more problems than solutions for many of us at that company and I was worn out. I found another job and moved away.

What I learned after that experience was to get someone in my corner. Recruiting a mentor makes any job better. Everyone needs advice at some point and some words of wisdom from a mentor or mentors are crucial in maintaining and advancing your career. Here are just a few of the benefits of having an expert on your side:

• An experienced sounding board – Griping to your co-workers about your boss will not make you feel better or move your career ahead. Find someone in your field who is knowledgeable and experienced. It may be someone in your office or a speaker at a local event. Either way, ask someone who will give you time and sound advice.
• A new perspective and reality check – Your mentor should be able to give you the good and bad of situations. You’re not looking for a new best friend – you’re looking for someone you respect who can shed light on situations you are facing and give it to you straight.
• Strength in numbers – Consider enlisting more than one mentor. Just like a Presidential Cabinet of experts, you can have a diverse squad who can provide different ideas, peer networks and strategies.
• Increase your accountability – Having a solid relationship with a mentor keeps you accountable. In Harvard Business Review’s “6 Things Every Mentor Should Do,” authors Vineet Chopra, MD and Sanjay Saint, MD say that accountability isn’t optional: “Effective mentors educate mentees about the standards of the profession — and ensure they live up to them. If a mentee produces second-rate or tardy work, both the mentee’s and mentor’s reputations suffer.” They also require mentees to respect their mentors’ time and to stay organized.