Leadership and Mentorship
We all have pet peeves. Those irrational itches which drive us bonkers to no one except ourselves. My cousin told me when I was six years old that he had a friend that cracked his knuckles so much a knuckle popped out of its skin and they had to surgically repair his mistake. From that day to the present, I feel genuinely concerned for anyone who decides it’s to their benefit to feel the temporary sweet relief of pressure in their joints by making that audible “pop,” and I remain ready to see what my cousin once endured.
Fast forward the clock a couple of decades and it has come to irrationally bother me when people state with a straight face that they did “it” by themselves. They were self-made and had no one to rely on on their journey to their goals. I find this to be ignorant, selfish, and delusional. Maybe they don’t have Newton’s humility to admit they can see further because they stood on the shoulders giants, but with my chest would tell them that they weren’t alone.
Mentorship comes with many faces. We’re most familiar with the personal touch, the face-to-face encounters of the old bull speaking with the young buck on explaining how the world turns. These can be long meetings, or fly-bys, but the interactions are still there. Sometimes someone decided to stay quiet on telling their side of the story and saved your reputation. Sometimes you need that advocate in rooms that you’re not invited into to speak on your behalf. Mentorship does not always have to be something we parade around, but you are a fool if you don’t search for it.
In my work there is an opinion that I am gunning for my subordinates. They are absolutely correct I am, and it’s because I don’t want them to feel the same mistakes I had to endure. I offer instruction in the short-run in order to save myself a lot of paperwork in the long run. It is in my best interest to make my subordinates as ready to assume my position and sometimes that means I’m going to be aggressive, stern, or factual. By being a critic of their work, I also open myself up to being their biggest fan, and it’s unfortunate that they do not always see that. Which is why when I’m in the rooms they are not in I get to speak on their behalf and advocate for their best interests.
Mentorship to me is the single most important extrinsic component to personal success. You will not get to your destination alone. You will meet many people along your way. Some may appear to be your friend, but really are hiding in the tall grass waiting for you to fail. Some will be so annoying you will want to ditch them and you may try. If they stay, take advantage to what they have to say because you may just cash in that nugget of annoying conversation down the line and apply it to where it was always meant to be.