Ejovi has another interesting post on mentoring as part of his “Lessons in poverty” blog post series.

So how do I get someone to become my mentor? I say “I bet I could really learn a lot from you.” Said early in the relationship, this defines how you want to interact with them. If you seem bright and curious and willing to learn people will go out of their way to help you. If you seem like a know it all, no one will. I don’t ask for mentors anymore, I ask for permission to learn. Doesn’t that sound silly? Who could say no?

A pastor friend of mine gave me the exact same advice in regards to spiritual development.

One habit I have found to be effective is to communicate specifics about areas I want to grow in with those who have emotionally committed to seeing you succeed. For example, I told the President on a board I’m on that I wanted to develop my speaking skills and was seeking opportunities to practice. As a result, she has gone out of her way to get me invited to speak at seminars, provide training workshops and speak at various events.

I totally agree with Ejovi — there has to be an emotional investment.