Let’s reflect a moment on Mentorship. Did you have formal mentors…perhaps assigned by HR or your boss? How about informal ones? You know, those individuals who may have offered suggestions and ideas that helped you on the job or in life. Have you been either: assigned to someone officially or have you just offered helps now and again to others?
As I interviewed the 60 highly successful men and women for the Amazon book, I realized that since all of them began their careers in entry level jobs, they had a lot of wisdom to share about what they learned that helped them achieve both position success and satisfaction. I refer to them as the 60 Mentors in the videos on the 7 keys app and in the text of the book.
Do you like the phrase “Pay it Forward”? It was a movie in 2000. But the concept, I think, is at the core of mentoring. If we have learned something that helps us in your work or personal life, why wouldn’t to pass it on? We do it with our family and friends, why not coworkers or others that are around us?
My first mentor was a British Knight. I was 17 and while in my senior year in high school, I was working at a brand new, live performance, classical theater in Minneapolis. At night I was an usher in my blue blazer but over the summer I was chauffer and aide to Sir Tyrone Guthrie, the founder and former head of the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. As I reflect back, his quiet encouragement to be “out there” and not limit myself and to build my reputation are not surprisingly two of the 7 keys in my book. The 60 mentors also encouraged these actions.
Over the years there were many more colleagues and a few more formal mentors that offered wisdom. I am so grateful for them. I would never have been president of a national energy association, nor would I have been a decorated officer working on a team that helped destroy the first nuclear missiles in the 1988 treaty with the Soviet Union.
Two of my mentors are highly respected speakers and authors.
Kevin Cashman is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Korn Ferry and author of several books. He presented the first to me (Leadership from the Inside Out) as he coached me while leading LeaderSource which was acquired by Korn Ferry. Kevin continues to have major impacts in businesses around the world.
Harvey MacKay, even at 94 today, is still published in over 100 newspapers and has authored 7 New York Times best sellers. Swim with the Sharks is the autographed copy he gave me, but when we had a chance meeting on an airplane some years after our coaching time, he grabbed my card and sent me all of his books and tapes. Talk about Pay it Forward.
I encourage you to reflect on those that helped you. In what ways? How might your career have been different if you had not connected? What career/life lessons have you learned and can you pass them on one on one or in some social media way?
My book, 7 Keys to a More Satisfying Future at Work is my way of sharing. I hope it helps every reader.