A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

If we don’t pass on what we’ve gained, we are halting the upward reach of society, and we are denying everything that came before us that enabled us the luxury of learning those lessons we refuse to share.

And here’s the kicker: You don’t always have to agree with your mentor. In fact, some of the best learning comes from watching others’ mistakes. What matters is what you do with the lessons those mentors teach you.

Anywhere there is an individual with life lessons to impart to an audience—more often than not, just an audience of one—there is a mentor.

While mentoring is usually about building someone up, it can occasionally be about taking someone down a notch or two, too—provided the dressing down is done with that person’s best interest at heart and that it stems from love.

Hand in hand with consistency come honesty and trust. When a teacher or a coach or any kind of mentor is consistent in his or her principles, it creates trust between the mentor and the people he or she is mentoring.

every time we watch someone and make a mental note about that individual’s character or conduct, we’re being mentored.

Mentoring can be any action that inspires another;

“Don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses. Just do the best you can. Nobody can do more than that.”

That same level of honesty is required of a mentor. You have to be willing to identify a need, weakness, or even an unpleasant reality but also assure your mentee that you’re going to help him or her overcome it. The frankness builds trust, while the positive action you take builds character.

Consistency is essential. You have to make sure that your students know what is expected of them and what the consequences will be if those expectations are not met.