This is the problem I have with mentors as currently defined. If one was able to provide some great service to somebody important, they probably wouldn't need that person so desperately as a mentor.

I gave up on trying to find one years ago, because it always seemed like in order to get any kind of help, I had to prove that in the end, I didn't really NEED any kind of help. Rather, it was all about, to be frank, a cleaner version of brown nosing influential people in any given field.

"What have you done for me lately," may be a great bottom line philosophy, but it isn't very helpful for people trying to dig themselves out of a hole...those who need help but have not the resources to improve the lives of people from which they need the help.

@Berrak - good post
@Ty - I'm sorry you didn't have any luck in finding a mentor. I disagree with the statement that you can only get help if you don't need any help, although mentor isn't someone you should ask for a job, but more of career guidance and advice. I've had several mentors that served me in different capacities at different times. A lot of time what I gave back was the benefit of a different perspective to their own issues. I.e. a senior designer was having issues with managing junior staff asked for my input on how to better handle the process since I interacted well with both junior and senior staff.
My current and best mentor approached me after seeing me help coworkers with their professional accreditations and asked me to join her on a board of professional organization. We ended up having a close relationship and she helped me with professional conundrums and even helped me get a job when I needed one. But it all started with my own willingness to help out others, even if it didn't benefit her directly. Forming mentorship relationships is very much about being willing to help when asked (or just when you see a need) as well as being willing to ask questions.

@Megan - I really think there are many people out there who just want to help. Everyone started at the ground floor, including the mentors you seek. Reciprocity may not need to be anything more than your eternal gratitude along with putting their advice and wisdom into action.

Sure, this isn't the case across the board, but in general, people want to feel needed and appreciated, and love seeing their guidance make an impact. Even if it's a one-time chat with someone, you've made some headway.

As @Berrak said, "The worst that can happen when you reach out and ask someone to be your mentor is that they will say no. But you won’t know until you try." Go for it!

@Megan, good chatting with you yesterday. If you ever need any help via coaching, just send me a message!

@Brett, you make a very good point about seeing their advice be put into practice. I hadn't thought of it that way but that would be the ultimate reward (for me, at least).

@Scott, I will definitely follow-up with you over the weekend. I'm still trying to gather all my notes from last night and make sense of them all, hah. :)

@Cheryl, I like your comparison to Big Brother's Society. I feel like a lot of corporate mentor programs do exactly that and often miss the mark, discouraging on-boarding or entry-level employees from the concept of mentoring. I was paired with a great manager through our corporate mentor program and he had worked his way from the bottom of the lady into senior management in 8 years - a real go-getter. They got our personalities matched well but he was in a different state where the operations, goals, and culture was MUCH different. Much of his insight shared didn't apply to what I was experiencing because of that.