In today’s constantly evolving business world and cutthroat competition, mentors play a critical role in helping people go in the right direction. They help you hone your talent to unlock your ultimate potential. Irrespective of the stage in your career, mentors are essential to guide you.
Mentors motivate us to do the real work needed to be successful in the long run. A dedicated mentor helps us take advantage of an opportunity without spoon-feeding us. Combining a bit of reason along with pure and unadulterated encouragement, real mentors strike a delicate balance between being a good commander and the ideal role model.
What else do powerful mentors do? The following quotes unveil more!
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“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote highlights our inherent desire for guidance and leadership in everyday life, simply to do what we can. Perhaps this is why motivational speakers like Hank Green and Jordan Peterson are so popular. The latter’s insistence on his fan following to get up each day and make their beds hit a nerve. As simple as certain things appear, it always helps to have someone to remind us about what we should be doing now and then.
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“My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.” — Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was known throughout his career as a hard taskmaster. His temper was as famous as his unbeatable energy in manifesting ideas into real and tangible products. This quote elucidates another important aspect of having a mentor – which is to have someone push us when we’re feeling confused, unsure, demotivated, or just plain lazy. As they say, we are our own worst enemies so sometimes, it helps to have a stern leader by our side giving us that extra push to achieve our goals.
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“I’ve learned a lot from mentors who were instrumental in shaping me, and I want to share what I’ve learned.” – Herbie Hancock, Pianist, Composer, and Actor
The above quote illustrates two important things: great mentors can play a large role in shaping our personalities, and how that, in turn, makes us want to be real positive influences on other people. Like the domino effect, a superior leader makes us want to become good mentors ourselves. Many leaders train their subordinates with a blueprint that’s in their image. In the end, what we learn, we impart on others, and that creates a beautiful and nurturing chain reaction of successful individuals helping each other.
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“The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.” — Plutarch
If you’re trying to build a possible future filled with great people, a great coach would inspire action based on the ideas and desires that you already have. A good coach understands that you may have dreams that are vastly different from your own. Regardless of this difference, your superiors would try their best to motivate you to see the best in yourself and build up the courage to achieve your dreams. They wouldn’t fill your mind with ideas suited only to themselves but would figure out what works best for you.
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“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” — Bob Proctor
Many times, it’s difficult for us to see the good in ourselves. Or you may have restricting ideas of our potential. That’s when you need a mentor the most. Whether you’re a great achiever or not, have limited access to resources, or whatever it may be, the true secret to achieving your dreams is to see beyond what you have and identify what you can be. That kind of visionary thinking will help you overcome any obstacle in your way and strengthen you with nerves of steel.
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“I think the greatest thing we give each other is encouragement…knowing that I’m talking to someone in this mentoring relationship who’s interested in the big idea here is very, very important to me. I think if it were just about helping me get to the next step, it would be a heck of a lot less interesting.” — Anne Sweeney
As the quote states, many of us have ambitions that we may not be comfortable sharing with everyone around us. Perhaps our peer groups and families wouldn’t understand or appreciate such ideas. Having a mentor who actively takes an interest in your thoughts and tries to see things from your perspective can be extremely relieving. You can even discuss the details with your mentor and get valuable feedback on how to make your ideas even better,
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“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
Finally, one of the most crucial ingredients to success is hope. The hope is that you can do better every day, be the best version of yourself, and build the life of your dreams with your hard work and determination. A good mentor brings out these qualities in you by guiding you every step of the way. They’re your right hands and confidants on the days you can’t see eye-to-eye with even your mirror. With hope, hard work, and consistency, truly anything is possible.
