Thanks to the kindness of a few people and a good mix of intent and luck, I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of people that I consider mentors or significant influencers.
In several cases, I’ve managed to work with them in person, via email or phone calls.
More often than not, this happens at conferences – but not at conferences related to the industries I work (or have worked) in. That’s where the intent and luck take over.
Who are mine?
For me, the list is easy: Jim Rohn, Dan Kennedy, Peter Drucker, Tom Peters, Dan Sullivan and Chet Holmes.
Each of them have something in common: Without hesitation, they can name a mentor who were instrumental in getting them on the right path in their earlier years. They all struggled, and in some cases, did so mightily and more than once in their lives.
At their level of achievement, the fact that they can point to a mentor who was instrumental in their success is a critical lesson. It’s one each of us should take away from observing what makes high-achieving people tick.
None of them claim to “figured it out” on their own – even though each of them clearly specialize in a particular area of business and have substantially raised the level of “play” in their respective areas.
If these people managed to find and learn from mentors, shouldn’t all of us?
Why do entrepreneurs need mentors?
You might be wondering why you even need a mentor.
A few reasons…
- We can all use a dose of clarity now and then. Sometimes more often.
- We need a perspective we don’t have.
- We need a fresh set of eyes on something we’re about to do, already doing or failed at doing.
- We need someone to be honest with us when no one else will.
- We need advice from someone whose experience and knowledge is far beyond on own.
- We need to be asked the question that will transform what we do.
- We need to counsel of someone who will provide a stern correction before we make a ridiculous mistake.
Where do you get these things now?
How do I choose mine?
I’ve found that you don’t often choose them. In fact, sometimes they happen to you or someone brings them to you. There’s a lot of “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear” going on when it comes to mentors.
It can take serious effort to find a mentor. You might have to pay them. Don’t cheat yourself on this – the results from working with the right mentor can (and should) be worth at least 10 times your investment – hopefully more.
Here’s the things I look for:
- A history of success that’s 10-100 times beyond where I’ve been – in any field. Recurring success, preferably.
- Someone who can see through me and isn’t shy about doing it..
- An ability to ask simple questions or make simple suggestions that floor me or make me rethink my angle on something. You can find this most often through their writing (books, blogs, etc).
- Someone who asks questions about myself or my work that I can’t immediately answer.
What would you look for?
What about other influences?
Other influencers come from outside the business world, or their influence has little (if anything) to do with business. For example, Hildy Gottlieb has a habit of making comments that provoke me to think differently and before long, that bubbles up and provokes some of my sharpest clarity in discussions that end up helping her. While our relationship is not at all about business, it tends to be the context where I process our conversations – at least initially.
What about you?
You might think you don’t have any business mentoring someone, but that just isn’t true. There are always people who need advice, a little wisdom, some clarity and an occasional poke in the ribs. Make yourself available to someone – it’s likely to improve far more than their life. More often than not, it’ll make you reconsider some of your own struggles, even though they are worlds apart from the person you’re mentoring.
Mentorship and influence isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about dollars and sense – and a lot more.
Want to learn more about Mark or ask him to write about a strategic, operations or marketing problem? See Mark’s site, contact him on Twitter, or email him at [email protected].