Think you don’t need a great mentor? Think again. The most successful and influential people of our time had mentors who challenged their thinking and pushed them to grow. Steve Jobs had Robert Friedland, Warren Buffet had Benjamin Graham, and Mark Zuckerburg had Donald Graham.
Many books have been written about the importance of mentors and the art of mentoring. With all of the varying wisdom shared in those pages, there is one common quality of all mentors; they are not born, they are made. And great mentors are made in the laboratory of life, not buried in the pages of a text book.
I love books– so much so that I decided to write my own! However, I’m convinced that all the book knowledge in the world can’t come close to the road-tested wisdom offered by one who’s walked the road before.
A great mentor not only lives to tell their story, but can successfully guide others along the same path and teach the mentee to avoid similar pit-falls & mistakes.
I’ve been so blessed to have mentors like that in my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without having men like Vince Dooley and Mark Richt who’ve invested their time and wisdom into me. I’ve had other’s like Ike Reighard and John Hull who have encouraged me along the way. Their input was invaluable, revolutionized my thinking and pushed me beyond the boundaries of my own perceived limitations.
So, what makes a great mentor? Here’s what I think the top 3 characteristics of a great mentor are:
1. Great Mentors Are Reputable
First and foremost, your mentor should have integrity that is above reproach. After you’ve covered that base, your chosen mentor should have success in the areas where you most need support, have a great reputation for being an expert in their chosen field, and have the ability to guide you in the right direction.
2. Great Mentors Ask Great Questions
Experienced mentors will ask probing, open-ended questions. Their goal isn’t always to produce knee-jerk answers, but to make you think more deeply and explore your own sense of purpose, value and deeper meaning within the discovery process.
3. Great Mentors Challenge Your Perspective
I love it when a mentor uses their wisdom and insight to remove roadblocks and unlock the potential in any given situation. Great mentors draw on past experiences and have the ability to see what you may not be able to see because you’re too close to it. A mentors input can help change your perspective and shift your way of thinking, helping you achieve greater success.
There’s plenty more I could add to this list, but those are my top 3.
Do you agree? What would you say are the most important characteristics of a great mentor?
