Authenticity and Mentorship
My new book, The Balanced Business: Building Organizational Trust and Accountability through Smooth Workflows, drops on October 3rd. I’m really excited to introduce you to my second book as it represents the management operating system I would deploy if I could go back and do it all over again, given what I’ve learned over the last 30+ years as an entrepreneur and business leader. No academic fluff, no flavor-of-the-day management tips, just a real world, practical guide filled with the must-have components that all businesses and institutions need to have installed in their management operating system to ensure long-term sustainability and success.
In last week’s muse, I talked about the importance of knowing one’s personal purpose and ensuring that personal purpose is aligned with one’s work. My purpose—the reason I exist—is to teach, coach, mentor, and (hopefully) inspire. I’ve chosen to use the written word as the primary vehicle to mentor members of the business community as it is more enduring than other media options.
When I write, I speak directly to my readers and frequently use the word “you.” Some readers bristle at the thought that I’m speaking to them—or at them. That I’m speaking down to them. That I’m “preaching” to others to get their act together. That somehow I’ve got everything figured out and they don’t.
Nothing could be further from the truth. When I use the word “you,” I’m speaking to myself as much as I’m speaking to my readers. I don’t have it all figured out, none of us do. We’re all works in progress. What I do have going for me is a diverse portfolio of leadership experiences, business “wins,” and a load of errors, challenges, and mistakes that I’ve turned into learning and growth opportunities through the years.
One of my personal goals as I rapidly approach age 60 is to package up all that learning and pass it on to my generation and the generations that follow. Too many of us ride off into the sunset and don’t make the time or expend the energy to pass on what they’ve learned. I’m determined to codify what I’ve learned.
Yes, it would be awesome if I amassed millions of followers and made an impact on an outsized portion of the population, but that isn’t the top priority. The top priority is to be authentic and true to myself. So when I give advice and counsel, that same advice applies as much to me as it does to “you.” As a mentor, if I’m true to myself, I will be true to you.
As you amass experience and learnings throughout your career, you have a societal obligation to pass on what you know and help guide those who can benefit from your wins and losses. Mentorship matters. The best mentors understand that they too are works in progress and that authenticity—sprinkled with a dash of vulnerability—is the key to a meaningful mentor/mentee relationship.
See? I just did it again—I said “you,” but I’m talking to myself as much as I’m talking to you.
