Connecting with experts, mentors, and partners in your area of impact can help you navigate complex challenges and accelerate your progress. These relationships expand your industry-specific knowledge base and network.

Identify key skill or knowledge gaps and actively seek out individuals or organizations in the ecosystem who can provide that expertise. Reach out to previous founders and other individuals you admire in your network.

• Look beyond your immediate network for potential mentors and consider who might be able to offer you a warm introduction to them.
• Look for mentors or experts who share similar values, backgrounds, or experiences, but also be open to connecting with people who may diverge significantly from your usual sources of expertise.  
• Tailor your outreach to potential mentors by connecting your goals and desired areas of growth to  specific aspects of their work and experience. 
• Embrace rejection—not everyone will respond positively, and that’s okay!—and use it as a learning experience to keep refining your approach.
• Be a good mentee/partner by coming prepared to meetings and following through on any commitments. 
• Approach relationships with a two-way learning mindset, considering both what support you’re looking for and what value or insights you might be able to offer to the other person.