| In the midst of change, chaos, or crisis, it’s easy to dismiss mentoring as extraneous or unnecessary – a frivolous activity.
I once had a client abandon their mentoring program because, in her words, “We are too busy for mentoring.” And I’ve had a mentee confess, “I just got a new role, so I don’t have time for mentoring. I’m dropping out of the program.”
But while it may not be urgent, mentoring is important as we navigate unchartered territory.
Why? Because mentoring is the circulation of wisdom. It’s the intentional exchange of advice, perspectives, and ideas for the purpose of accelerating success.
Look. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not coming. No one is going to save us, so we better learn to save ourselves… together.
When faced with change or crisis, we can circulate wisdom to:
- collect new ideas to help us innovate through the change or crisis
- identify our blindspots that may be hindering our success
- acclimate to and succeed in a new role or responsibility
- rediscover our own resilience as we integrate the new normal
- learn to cultivate calm and vigilance, not fuel frenzy and fear
But we cannot merely hope that we acquire the wisdom we need for the challenges we face. We must ensure that we do.
How? Deliberately create mentoring opportunities:
- schedule Advice Interviews with others regularly
- involve peers in generating solutions
- seek a variety of perspectives to make better decisions
- invite people to share their experiences and ideas
- turn strangers into connections using curiosity
- encourage and support mentoring programs to foster a culture that eagerly exchanges advice, perspectives, and ideas
When you feel too busy or overwhelmed for mentoring, consider wrestling that chaos, change, or crisis on your own, lacking essential wisdom.
Now more than ever we need to learn from each other. When nothing is certain, mentoring forges possibility. |
