The Mentors Mentor: Preparing Yourself to Make a Lasting Difference in Someones Life

But how can you evoke engagement in a traditional work setting or in a clearly defined role? Focus less on learning the facts, and the process involved in understanding a new idea or a customer base. By first giving new hires a baseline knowledge of the business landscape, and then helping them build upon that existing foundation through trial and error, you essentially allow your team members the freedom to form opinions , retract former ideas, and edit their outlook as they consume and retain insight.

I spent the first year and a half out of college working the overnight shift at a local newspaper. My editors taught me everything I needed to know by putting me on boring jobs and forcing me to navigate my way—through hard work—to more exciting projects. Another huge part of becoming a leader is taking the time to audit your own behavior to ensure you are modeling a desired work ethic among staff.

On a deeper level, you need to accept weaknesses in your own character and then find ways to correct course quickly. In a June study from the University of Illinois , researchers found that adults preparing to take on mentoring roles should modify their own behaviors and personal qualities to have the right skills replicated by younger employees. The study found that new hires are extremely impressionable and, despite myths about millennials being stubborn and dismissive, these professionals are eager to learn and grow within organizations.

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This was a serious lesson learned. Before I can expect any new team member to be the best he or she can be in the workplace, I need to regularly grade my own actions and recognize what I could have done better. You're upgrading your subconscious belief system, altering your identity to match your goals, and increasing your commitment to your goals and the key relationships that will help you get there.

It's not enough to just pay someone. Money is only so valuable. And money isn't how you create deep and lasting connections. When you invest in a mentorshp, you need to take your focus off the money.

How To Be A Better Mentor

You need to become deeply committed to helping them move the needle forward in their own life. That's how you get the most out of a mentorship or any other investment such as a mastermind group. When you invest in a relationship, then look for all the ways you can contribute to that relationship, magic happens. If your mentor is great, then you shouldn't be mad to pay them.

You should be happy to even be able to get access. However, access isn't what you should be looking for. Transformation and collaboration are. According to Harvard Psychologist, Robert Kegan, the highest level of conscious evolution is called, "the transforming-self," and it can only happen when two people come together-- both givers-- and seek 10X or X growth as the product of their partnership. This is what Strategic Coach founder, Dan Sullivan, explains happens when two people going 10X in their "unique ability" combine forces to go X.

It's what Stephen Covey calls synergy. This is what "craftsmen" do. When you get good at something, you develop confidence. When you develop confidence and skill, you become passionate about that thing. You want to do whatever you can to make your mentor's life better. Joe Polish, my key mentor, has a similar phase to Zig: Life gives to the giver and takes from the taker. John Wooden, the famed basketball coach who won 10 national championships had a similar phrase: You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving.

As stated previously, I've gone quite deep in a current and recent mentorship with Joe Polish, who also happens to be the founder of Genius Network and Genius Recovery. Importantly, Joe and I have a huge overlap in interests. We're both fiercely passionate about and committed to entrepreneurship, personal growth, and changing the global conversation around addiction.

At my first few meetings, I heard Joe talk a lot about the importance of being a "giver," and about how to create true "connections. For Joe, connection is everything. It's how you grow as a person.

It's also the only way to overcome an addiction. You can't do it alone. You can't be transactional. You can't be a taker.

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You can't win through silent battles or manipulation. At least, not in the long-run. According to Joe, in every social situation you are in, you are either attempting to escape or connect. This matches psychological research that says all human behavior is either "approaching" or "avoiding" something. Since joining Genius Network, I've tried to add as much value to the group as a whole, and to Joe individually, as I could.

First, when you decide to get mentored by someone, you need to fully embrace what they are teaching. You need to let their teaching transform you. You need to have it change your behaviors and beliefs. Joe has changed my life. I've learned much more about how to be a giver and how to create genuine and "Genius" connections with his help. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway.

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Making the Most of Mentorships

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