The value of a mentor cannot be overestimated. A mentor is someone who is a few laps ahead of you in an area of life where you wish to find success. More than formal training, more than a book or a seminar, a good mentor brings his or her personal experience to bear on your life in a way that may shape it forever.

But how to find one? It’s actually easier than you think. Here are five ways to find a mentor:

“I don’t have time to read.”

When I tell people about my blog, that’s one of the comments I usually hear in response. The implication—or at least the way my possibly oversensitive mind takes it—“You must not have any life to read that many books … loser.”

Of course, I exaggerate. But, really, it’s a tension a lot of people in our overworked and overstressed society deal with. They understand that reading is important—after all, their second grade teacher made that clear. But nobody has the time to read a Dr. Seuss book, much less To Kill A Mockingbird or (gasp!) Infinite Jest.

I first encountered Marcus Buckingham when I bought the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths and took the StrengthsFinder test. I found the premise revolutionary: the most effective method for motivating people is to build on their strengths rather than correcting their weaknesses.

We began using this assessment in our leadership training and staff development at Thomas Nelson. It was a major paradigm shift. It is much more empowering to focus on building people’s strengths rather than trying to improve their weaknesses.

When I was twenty-years-old, I participated in a summer missions trip in Galveston, Texas. I was assigned to assist the pastor of a small Baptist church. I thought I would mostly be helping with the youth program.

About two weeks into this project, the pastor announced that he would be out-of-town the next Sunday. He asked me to preach on his behalf. I was thunderstruck.

I am excited about the upcoming Building Champions Experience, September 13–16, 2011 in Cle Elum, Washington. This will be my third year in a row to attend. I look forward to it every year. It is unlike any other conference I attend.

As you may know, Building Champions is the premier coaching company in the U.S. I have used them for more than a decade. They have coached me, several Thomas Nelson executives, and facilitated much of our strategic planning. I honestly would not be where I am today apart from their influence in my life.

If you regularly read my blog, you know I am a leadership development junkie. I can’t get enough input. Whether I am attending conferences, reading books, or listening to podcasts, I devour anything I believe will help me be a better leader.

Chances are, this describes you as well. When I did my 2011 Reader Survey, I discovered that my readers have an enormous appetite for growing their leadership:

I attend a lot of conferences and meetings. I have noticed that most people play it safe in these settings. They are reserved—arms crossed and skeptical—or simply distracted, hunched over their smartphone. Precious few take the plunge and play full out.

Several years ago, Robert Smith, Andy Andrews’ manager, paid for Gail and me to attend an internationally renowned motivational conference. Though it only lasted four days, it changed our lives. We still feel the impact today.

Last week, I spoke at the Re:create 2011 Conference in Franklin, Tennessee. This is an annual conference for Christian “creatives” (e.g., worship leaders, recording artists, book authors, actors, etc.). I talked about the #1 challenge these creatives face: becoming bitter over unwarranted criticism.

A few days after the conference, my friend Ken Davis, who was also a speaker at the conference, gave me some valuable feedback on my speech. In addition to being an enormously gifted speaker himself, Ken is a speech coach. He also hosts the Dynamic Communicators Summit and the Professional Communicators Summit, two conferences designed for professional speakers.

Do you have a bad habit you’d like to overcome? If so, you are not alone. Millions of people want to quit smoking, stop eating junk food, or give up their sedentary lifestyle.

But attacking the problem head-on may not be the answer.

Last year I attended the Chick-fil-A Leadercast in Atlanta, Georgia. I also had the privilege of hosting the “Backstage Video” program. I interviewed each of the speakers, including Jim Collins, author of Good to Great; Dr. Ben Carson, the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Dan Cathy, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A.

I attended numerous events last year, but this one was in my top three. Why? Because it provided the inspiration and practical how-to information leaders need to take their leadership to the next level.

I have always believed that you are more likely to accomplish big goals if you declare them publicly. My rationale has been that this creates the accountability you need to follow-through. But now I am not so sure.

Derek Sivers makes a compelling case against going public with your goals in his short talk at the 2010 Ted Conference. (The talk is only a little over three minutes long.) His basic premise is this: telling someone your goals makes them less likely to happen.

I once heard a person say in a disdainful tone, “I don’t read ‘self-help’ books.” With this seemingly innocuous verdict, he slammed the door on a multitude of voices eager to push him to God’s best for his life. He severely limited his exposure to wise counselors and leaders available to him. And he drew a curtain across a world of extraordinary and supernatural influence.

I wanted to argue the point, but the task was too daunting for a moment in passing. The sad truth, though, is that many people share this man’s opinion: They don’t need to read books written by people whose sole focus is to edify, encourage and motivate them. In effect, what these people are suggesting is that they don’t need mentors.

As I have written before, I will be attending the Chick-fil-A Leadercast on May 7, 2010. This is a one-day leadership event that will take place in Atlanta, Georgia and will be broadcast to 500 host locations throughout the country via satellite or internet downlink. They are expecting nearly 70,000 attendees, between the live site in Atlanta and the rest of North America.

Recently, my wife, Gail, and I had dinner with some close, neighborhood friends. As we always do with this group, we soon began discussing the books we were reading. A few minutes into the discussion, Gail asked, “So, how do each of you read a book? What is your practice?”

Real leaders crave input. They read books and blogs. They listen to podcasts and CDs. And, they attend conferences. Why? Because they know that influence comes from generosity, and generosity is only possible if you have something to share.

My pastor recently took a three-month sabbatical. I imagined him sleeping in until ten every morning, followed by extensive periods of crossword puzzles and personal grooming. But he assured me that his time off was really more professional in nature: he studied up on the Emergent Church and did a biblical tour of Turkey.

Am I jealous? No, of course not. Resentful is probably a better word. Not that I dislike my job, but the idea of taking three months off to focus on just-for-me time, well, that’s hard to stop fantasizing about. In fact, I already have it planned: the German lessons; the family rafting trip; the Executive Strategy conference; the monastery retreat; the writing seminar; the culinary tour of Spain—I would keep very, very busy working just on me.

A few weeks ago, while attending the Catalyst Conference, I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, and Mark Miller, VP of Training and Development for Chick-fil-A. I experienced first-hand their passion for leadership and for enriching the lives of the people in the the communities where their stores are located.

Last spring I attended the Professional Communicators Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference is designed to assist leaders in either starting a professional speaking career or taking it to the next level. This is a fantastic resource, and one I want to encourage you to make plans now to attend. The next conference is March 18-20, 2010.

I have been a Marcus Buckingham devotee for years. As you may recall, he is the one who started the “strengths revolution” with the New York Times bestseller, Now Discover Your Strengths. This month we will publish Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently. In a moment, I will tell you how to get a copy FREE if you are a blogger.

I have worked hard to incorporate Marcus’ principles into my own personal development and leadership philosophy. In fact, we have built it into our performance reviews at my company, Thomas Nelson.

I am speaking at The Building Champion’s Experience in Sunriver, Oregon (20 minutes from Bend, Oregon) on September 16–19, 2009. However, even if you are not registered for the event, you can still join me for breakfast—free. I will tell you how in a minute.

Building Champions is the premier coaching company in the U.S. I have used them for more than seven years. They have coached me, several members of my team, and facilitated all of our strategic planning. They know us inside and out and have made a significant difference in the outcomes I have been able to accomplish personally and professionally.