The Guiding Light of Mentors: Lessons that have shaped me!

As I close out this year and prepare for a new chapter in my career, I want to express my gratitude to the mentors who’ve guided me through the challenges of building in tech companies (especially silicon valley start-ups). The pressure here is intense, and success isn’t guaranteed, but the wisdom I’ve gained from both structured conversations and casual impromptu coffee chats has been invaluable. Mentorship doesn’t always come from seniors or leaders?—?it can come from anyone you are willing to learn from. They guide us through uncertainty, challenge us to think differently, and inspire us to grow. The key is to be like a sponge, absorbing wisdom and inspiration from everyone around you.?

A huge thank you to my mentors who’ve shaped my journey, and to everyone reading this?—?seek out people to learn from and pay it forward. We’re all better together. Below are some impactful lessons that have stuck with me over the years. These lessons, even though some may seem obvious, helped me redirect my trajectory and reframe my story in times I needed it most.

• Gregory Dieterich : Always be prepared. Eventualities can happen anytime. Dedicate time in advance to prepare methodically for important meetings and prepare for outcomes. Leverage OKRs and frameworks like High Output Management, Measure what matters to drive team performance. Establish trust by offering value upfront and tie others’ success to your own OKRs.
• Abhinav Gupta : Bring the energy! Passion and dedication are contagious. If you’re not excited about your work, it’s hard to inspire others to follow you.?
• Ryan Falor : While doing product discovery, prioritize providing directional guidance for quick decision-making over building precision in data analytics models. Precision can be secondary to direction when presenting ROI or forecasts. Also, pressure test all ideas with dummy buttons or mock proposals to see if they will work.?
• Lennaert de Boer : Make everyone your friend. Take the time to really know your co-workers. Spend the first 5 minutes of every meeting catching up with them and getting to know them on a deeper level. A strong, supportive team fostered with trust and collaboration can overcome many challenges.
• Dr Anna Newberry : Always identify impact opportunities! Focus on the most impactful areas for your company and pilot ideas to gather feedback. Write strawman arguments to engage others, challenge opinions, find power plays in your organization and pilot test ideas to refine your thinking.
• Jessica Inman : Be opinionated and have strong conviction! Always carry key metrics in your pocket when meeting with senior leaders. Be ready to articulate data-driven insights in leadership meetings and master the art of negotiation to get things done.?
• Martin Books : Build from first principles. Simplicity is key. Always have backup solutions prepared to adapt to unforeseen challenges. Be the guy that finds and fixes problems before they become problems. Pay attention to trends and make hay when the sun shines.
• Erik Piper: When going through a transformative phase, change one major aspect of your life at a time to avoid overwhelm. Cherish all forms of growth, not just financial or vertical. There is a lot to learn even when trying to grow California Redwoods in the US Midwest. ?