Give and Get
What about a mentee’s responsibility to the relationship, and what do mentors get out of it? Expectations Mentees should carefully consider the guidance provided or revealed, use what they believe is valuable, and discard the remainder. Mentors do not expect to be followed like an orchestra leader but will lose interest if you do not […]
Stories from the Field
Chip off the Old Block While refraining from supplying the answer, cajoling our mentees to think and act like we do (or should) is an alluring temptation. Besides the error of your ways, emulation is rarely productive. Recently, Bob Sr. lamented that Bob Jr. was not approaching his college search correctly. If it were up […]
What is Needed?
Today, we will further distinguish mentorship from subject matter experts doling out advice. Most frequently, an answer is unnecessary, inaccurate, or the question does not address the correct issue. No Spoon-Feeding Mentees, resist the temptation to implore, “Just give me the answer!” Mentors mostly employ the Socratic Method, asking questions to stimulate critical thinking and […]
The Invaluable Relationship
Stating the Case At some point, you have undoubtedly benefitted from a frank conversation with a trusted confidant, which leads to breakthrough growth. While you may have incredible affection for that person and share incredibly intimate details of your life, that person is likely not a therapist, life coach, family member, or friend. They are […]
Halftime
We are halfway through the year, and too many of us have made inadequate progress toward our goals. Previously, we have examined enemies of accomplishment, such as fear, discipline, and competing priorities. Today, we address overcoming other impediments. Failure to Launch It is time to start if you have not thought about your goals since […]
Mirror Mirror on the Wall…
Who Is the Fairest One of All? The issue is not possessing the Evil Queen’s vanity but our negative internal voice. Too often, we talk to ourselves more critically than we would ever speak to someone else. Of course, the parents who said, “You will never amount to anything,” the schoolyard bullies who teased you […]
The Invisible Ceiling
Cause Rather than proudly don a (non-Hawthorne) Scarlet A, I shamefully cloaked myself with the lamentable Crimson S. Admittedly, today’s message is a little more “Why and How-To” than my usual messages due to my prior unhealthy relationship with the issue. Scarcity and abundance exist in every situation; our perspective decides which prevails and directs […]
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Many start the day leaping out of bed as if shot out of a cannon. Running through our minds is a myriad of urgent obligations, and we send our brains into overdrive by first checking our phones for “vital” messages and “consulting” social media. We want to start the day on the right foot but […]
Opinion ≠ Fact
What to make of it? The Stoics Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius both commented that it isn’t the events that disturb people but their judgments about them. This principle is evident as I write these words from the terrace of our accommodations in Barcelona, Spain. I hear vehicles rumbling down the street, construction noise, and people […]
With a Little Help from My Friends
Their Part The lyrics from a 1967 Beatles song remain true today, “Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.” We are born with less knowledge than a turtle that intuitively knows to crawl out of its sandy nest and use moonlight to find its ocean home. Someone taught us everything we […]