The research on the power of mentorship is pretty clear: People with mentors perform better, advance in their careers faster, and even experience more work-life satisfaction. And mentors benefit, too. After all, “to teach is to learn twice.” Despite all these benefits, and even though 76% of working professionals believe that a mentor is important to growth, more than 54% do not have such a relationship.

The problem is often that people don’t know how to find a mentor or establish a relationship. The following eight steps can help.

1. Define your goals and specific needs.
2. Write the “job description” of your ideal mentor.
3. Search for mentors through your second-degree network.
4. Make the ask (and keep it simple).
5. Have a first meeting.
6. Start simply.
7. Create a structured accountability process with a mentorship agreement.
8. Continue to follow-up and say thank you.