Mentoring Article: Are You a Bridge Builder? by John Boe

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Are You a Bridge Builder??by John Boe

Before you become a leader, success is all about developing yourself. After you become a leader, success is all about developing others. A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you. The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity and encouragement to create themselves.

Many great leaders have credited their success to the guidance and support of their mentors. They had someone who believed in them, challenged them, and ultimately helped them to achieve their full potential. One good mentor can be more valuable than a college degree. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have had many people come into my life and take the time to mentor and guide me along my career path.

Mentors, like bridge builders, help people go from where they are to where they want to be. Mentors build their bridges not with concrete and steel girders, but with words of wisdom and encouragement. Mentors don’t build bridges for the sake of personal recognition or financial gain, they build because it is in their very nature to encourage, assist, and support others along the path of life.

Mentors are selfless people who go out of their way to invest their time, talent, and energy helping others navigate around the pitfalls of inexperience and poor judgment. Mentors tend to show up when they are needed the most and are quick to lend a hand. They understand the importance of sincere praise and the power of a timely kind word.

There are lots of ways to be a good mentor, but there are two common principles that the best mentors share. One principle is putting the relationship before the mentorship. No amount of mentorship training outweighs the value of an authentic connection between mentor and mentee. Secondly, focus on developing your mentee’s character and not just his or her job skills.

Organizations that embrace mentoring are rewarded with higher levels of employee satisfaction and retention. In fact, mentoring has proved so beneficial that 70% of Fortune 500 companies offer mentoring programs to their employees.

In 1954, during her junior year, a professor invited Carol Burnett and some other students to perform at a party the college was hosting. After Carol had finished her musical number, a man from the audience approached her and introduced himself. He complimented Carol on her talented performance and asked about her future plans. When he discovered that her desire was to go to New York and try her luck with musical comedy, but she didn't have enough money, he offered her a $1,000 interest-free loan on the spot. Before he would give Carol the money, the man made it clear to her that he had three conditions for the loan. The money would be paid back within five years, she would never reveal his name as her benefactor, and if she became successful, she would help others in the attainment of their dreams just as she had been helped by him. Carol agreed to the conditions for the loan and took him up on his generous offer. She left college and moved to New York to pursue her acting career… and the rest as they say is a matter of history!

Four Reasons for Having a Mentor

1.?Gain valuable insights and perspective.?A mentor can provide you with insights and perspective that you might not otherwise have access to. They can share their own experiences, advice, and guidance to help you navigate challenges and make better decisions.

2. Learn from their mistakes.?A mentor has likely been through many of the same challenges and struggles that you will encounter in your career. By learning from his or her mistakes, you can avoid making the same ones and accelerate your own growth and development.

3. Expand your network.?A mentor can help you expand your professional network by introducing you to others in your field or connecting you with potential employers or clients.

4. Build confidence and motivation.?Having someone in your corner who believes in you and your abilities can be incredibly motivating. A mentor can help you build confidence and push you to achieve your goals.

A mentoring relationship is like any other relationship—it takes time to develop. And like other relationships, it will grow faster and stronger if both parties take the time to get to know each other as people. A mentee needs to be committed to expanding his or her capabilities and focused on achieving professional results. In addition, a mentee must be able to accept constructive feedback and hold themselves accountable.

As a boy, I recall reading a poem under the glass on my father's desk entitled, The Bridge Builder by Will Allen Dromgoole. This insightful poem and its powerful message of mentorship has served me well over the years and provides a great example for all of us to emulate.

The Bridge Builder by Will Allen

An old man, going a lone highway, came at the evening cold and gray to a chasm vast and deep and wide through which was flowing a swollen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim; the rapids held no fears for him. But he turned when safe on the other side and built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” cried a fellow pilgrim near, “You’re wasting your time in building here. Your journey will end with the closing day; you never again will pass this way. You have crossed the chasm deep and wide; why build you this bridge at even-tide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head. “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There follows after me today a youth whose feet must pass this way. This stream, which has been as naught to me, to that fair youth may a pitfall be. He too must cross in the twilight dim. Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”

Mentoring is a great opportunity to deliver a rewarding and potentially life-changing experience for both the mentor and the mentee. It is one of the most important things a person can do to enhance their career and professional life. A great mentor needs to be more than just a successful individual. He or she must have a willingness to reflect on and share one’s own experiences, including one’s failures. If you're a bridge builder, congratulations, the world is a far better place because of the positive impact you make in the lives of others.

A truly great mentor is hard to find, difficult to part with, and impossible to forget. A good mentor explains, a superior mentor demonstrates, while a great mentor inspires. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more, you are truly a great mentor. I challenge you to look for opportunities to become a "bridge builder" and help mentor the next generation of leaders!