Six Benefits of Having a Mentor
Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed to have several more-experienced leaders generously serve as a leadership coach and mentor to me. I’ve also been blessed by a few people who are more advanced in their walk with Jesus Christ who served as my discipleship coach.
My late friend Jim Woods, the former Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes, served as a mentor to me for decades before he passed away several years ago. When I was CEO, I sometimes felt alone as I struggled with making the right decision. I felt accountable to our employees, shareholders and customers, and I didn’t want to let them down. Jim was someone I could explain the situation to, describing the various options I was considering and the pros and cons of each one. Jim, who was blessed with a gift for asking the right questions, would help me think through the situation more thoroughly, always leaving the decision up to me. Because Jim was not with my company at that time, his only motive was to help me help me succeed. I will always have tremendous gratitude for Jim’s coaching and mentoring, and the time he spent with me.
When you look at some of the best and most gifted athletes, they all have professional coaches to help them continue to improve. Similarly, a mentor is someone to help guide and coach you, with whom you can share your struggles and who can give you guidance and support as you strive to deliver on your accountability to others. Ideally, this person will also share your faith in Jesus Christ and have a biblical worldview. Other qualities of a mentor might include:
Listening ear: We all need someone to talk to, who will listen in a penalty-free environment and show support. I have found that the best mentors don’t provide the answer you are seeking. They realize that sometimes you just need a sounding board — someone who will listen without judgment, and ask you questions from a different perspective to help you gain clarity on the right direction to move forward.
Accountability: A mentor can be honest with you and tell you when your character and integrity are on the line or if your attitude needs an adjustment. They can encourage you to live in a way that’s honorable to God. They can help you realize that you are thinking more about yourself than others.
Encouragement: Most of us need a little affirmation from time to time. A mentor will encourage you and believe in you as you strive to grow, both in business and spiritually. When you’re struggling with something, a mentor can remind you that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13) and encourage you to keep going (and perhaps not be so hard on yourself).
Role Model: A mentor leads by example. They realize that it’s their actions that speak the loudest, which in turn provides guidance for those they mentor and encourages them to do the same. Their experience and wisdom gained from their own trials and failures is invaluable, so that you don’t make the same mistakes.
Advice: When it comes to some of life’s toughest decisions, someone who has walked the road before you can steer you away from mistakes they previously made and/or guide you in the right direction. Often the best mentors are those who have been through battles, uniquely equipping them to offer insight and perspective you might not have, or ask questions you have not thought of yet.
Spiritual Growth: Your mentor should be someone who cares about you and wants the best for you. The most important thing in life is to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and your mentor should encourage that in you.
I learned a lot about leadership and business from Jim, and I’ll always consider him a dear friend. I’m grateful for what he taught me, his guidance and mentoring throughout my career and the opportunities he gave me at Baker Hughes that were way outside my comfort zone which enabled me to grow in my leadership capabilities and equip me for future success after I left Baker Hughes.
If you don’t have someone like that in your life, you need to find someone if you are coachable (see below). I’ve felt honored when others have asked me to serve as their business and/or spiritual mentor. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Pray and ask God to help you find a mentor and then ask the person if they would be willing to help mentor and coach you.
And then most importantly, be a coachable person. I have had many people throughout my career ask me to mentor them and soon after spending a little time with them, I realized that they were not coachable. They were more focused on trying to convince me how much they knew rather than truly seeking development and improvement.
So what kind of person are you? Are you coachable and willing to be transparent enough with your coach/mentor to be vulnerable and expose/discuss the areas where you need growth or help, or do you think you already know everything that you need to know? If you are in the second group (which most people are), don’t waste your time or another person’s time seeking a coach or mentor. If you truly want to grow and improve (and are willing to be transparent and vulnerable, which is very difficult), then seek out someone who is capable and willing to pour themselves into you.
And then you should be willing to do the same with someone who is less developed than you either in their career or spiritually. I have found both being coached/mentored as well as being a coach/mentor to be a very rewarding experience. Give it a try (but only if you are willing to be truly transparent).
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LISTENING TO OR SIGNING UP TO RECEIVE A LINK TO MY WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY PODCAST, GO TO MY WEBSITE AT WWW.LARRYODONNELL.COM UNDER THE PODCAST TAB.