Harnessing the power of peers

I recently wrote a column for the Australian Financial Review I not only wanted to explore the idea of 'mentorship' but also how peers can be a great source of inspiration and ideas - as well as experience.

I headed the piece "The power of peers" it ended up with the headline "RedBalloon founder Naomi Simson won't 'mentor' you."  They know how to attract an audience... see I even learned something in that experience.

One could argue that blogging and writing books is part of my contribution to supporting others on their journey....

The big point I was making in the below article is - about the importance of connecting (and hanging out with) like minded people... which is why I am kicking off the new year by going to Unstoppables Amazon in 2016

Here is my piece from the AFR.com:

RedBalloon founder Naomi Simson won't 'mentor' you
I find myself in a fortunate position. I founded a business with a clear sense of purpose and as a result people are curious about how I did it. Mostly they want to know what "worked" and how they could "do the same thing". This means that I am approached a lot by people who want me to "mentor" or advise them.
I am so not the right person to mentor people, so when I am approached I respond with the simple question: "What is the one question that you want answered?" This can take considerable time for the person to formulate and work out what "is the question?"

The power of mentoring is not in what a mentor knows, but in the power of the questions they can ask – even if it is just "what is your real question?" Often the ability of the mentor or adviser to search for and refine what that question is comes from years of experience.

I have found that it is not "one person" who has all the answers or all the right questions. There are many people who we meet or reach out to on the journey who share insights that come to us at just the right moment.

One thing that has always worked for me is calling on my peer group. Fellow founders and entrepreneurs at different stages of the journey. Sometimes it is the sideways conversation – the sharing of a story or experience, that delivers the gem that I need right now – which might even happen in a social setting. This gives me the gold I need to keep going, and keep growing.

So the trick becomes: where do I find these people, and how can I associate with the "right" people?

NETWORKING EDUCATIONAL EVENT

As part of my ongoing investment in learning – I read endlessly – I attend at least one networking educational event each month, including one conference in Australia and one international event. Sharks drown if they don't move – leaders will also falter if they stop learning.

I have chosen to start 2016 with a massive event of like-minded entrepreneurs, in, of all places, the Amazon – that would be the jungle, not the online retailer.
The Unstoppables network is hosting an event for seasoned entrepreneurs to put our heads together on global issues. Connections will be made, business will be done, and perhaps "gold" created to make the world a little bit better.
This is my experience: it can be lonely as a leader, and sometimes you just need to bounce "silly" ideas around for them to formulate into a real strategy. It is not something you want to do with your own leadership team necessarily, because they will be restricted by their own experience. You need people with ideas that come from outside your "box".

We all don't know what we don't know. We all have blind spots – others can see what we cannot. How amazing to have some days and time to simply "shoot the breeze" and put vastly different experiences together, to see what could emerge.

NOT THE POWER OF ONE, BUT THE POWER OF MANY

Many times as a leader we are not challenged or pushed by those around us. They might think we have all the answers. It takes peers to be able to show you your blind spots, to be able to challenge you to play a bigger game. With true peers there is no power struggle or power plays. There might be friendly competition or rivalry, but in a spirit of producing great results, not beating or winning.

Peers – true peers – can be the greatest mentors of all. It might take effort to find out where they hang out, and it might even take going to the Amazon.

Naomi Simson is the founding director of Australian online tech success story RedBalloon and Redii. She has written more than 950 blog posts at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You Love & Ready To Soar and is one of five “Sharks” on TEN’s business reality show Shark Tank 9.00pm. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook