A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring

It was an incredible reminder that gentleness can fix in a moment what an hour of shouting fails to achieve.

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.

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

life is a learning opportunity and that lessons are constantly being taught all around us.

Mentors are all around us; they are everywhere we look. Anywhere there is a sharing of knowledge or a teaching of experience, there is a mentor.

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.

He mentored me with lessons, with actions, and with words

If there is a problem, it should be addressed early on, but it also should be addressed quietly.

I’ve talked before about the graduation gift my father gave to each of his sons when we completed grade school: a two-dollar bill, and a small card with a poem on one side and seven rules for living on the other: 1. Be true to yourself. 2. Make each day your masterpiece. 3. Help others. 4. Drink deeply from good books. 5. Make friendship a fine art