Mentoring revealed

Leaders should have at least two mentors. The obvious mentor is a

person or a group of people you want to emulate. They come in a variety

of forms: a teacher, the Chairman of the Board, a think-tank, or brain trust,

however, they all have the same mission, “to advise or train or encourage”

based on their experiences. This is usually a person you admire.

Most successful people have mentors. For instance, Warren Buffett is a

mentor to musical phenom Jay Z and other business leaders world-wide.

Motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins’ mentor is a fellow motivational

speaker and author, Jim Rohn. Michael Jordan and Oprah have both

confessed to mentoring Tiger Woods. Ben Carson, MD, and author, gives

credit to his mother for mentoring him, and according to The Hall of

Mentors, Pope Benedict XVI considers Pope John Paul his mentor.

The other type of mentor is equally as important, yet you may not choose

to sit down and talk to them. Instead, this mentor is strictly someone you

pay very close attention to, because they will teach you exactly what NOT

to do. This is the person you want to avoid becoming.

Ineffective mentors may have been masterful guides at teaching others

the pitfalls to avoid, connecting them to other leaders and resources,

helping them to chart their course to higher heights and so on, but those

days are gone. They may even have an undeniable prowess in an area of

interest to you, as well as significant financial means. However, they are

jaded and lack enthusiasm for the success of others. Their good points

are overshadowed by these less attractive characteristics. Poor examples

of mentor-ship are: self-centeredness, greed, superiority, and petulance.

No one wants to follow this type of person, or at least they shouldn't. But

don’t disregard them totally; there is much to learn from them - just at a

distance.