Thursday, March 27

Great Leaders Need Great Mentors

All great leaders need a great mentor to guide, share, and be a sounding board. A mentor is someone who has "been there, and done that" and now owns the T-shirt! When approaching someone to mentor you, make sure that person has been through similar experiences and can be a voice of knowledge and wisdom.

A page from one of my mentors, Dr. John Maxwell's book, Developing the Leaders Around You.

When you find someone who can personally mentor you, use these guidelines to help develop a positive mentoring relationship with that person:

1. Ask the right questions. Give thought to the questions you will ask before your time with your mentor. Make the questions strategic for your growth.

2. Don't let ego get in the way of learning.

3. Respect the mentor but don't idolize him/her. Making the mentor an idol removes your critical faculty for adapting a mentor's knowledge and experience to yourself.

4. Put into effect immediately what you are learning.

5. Be disciplined in relating to the mentor. Arrange for ample time, select the subject matter in advance, and do your homework to make sessions profitable.

6. Don't threaten to give up. Let your mentor know that you have made a decision for progress, so your mentor will know it's not a waste of time.

*****

I mentor young women in the spiritual arena and can share my experiences with them. I know we are a great match when their story sounds so much like my own story from the past.

I am able to journey with another woman beginning her journey along the same road. It it not only an honor and a privilege to be a mentor, but it is also a chance to recheck my own journey. I also listen to the mentee's visions and dreams and re-evaluate my own. Then I can check in with my own mentor with fresh, new ideas.

Mentoring has so many rewards -- for both the mentor and the mentee. To be a great leader, one must have a great mentor. So, go out and find a great person to walk with you on the success journey!

To lead is to serve,

Coach Carolyn

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Those are good guidelines to follow! I hope that in the future the women mentoring me will take something away from it as I learn from them!