We’re all familiar with the Elbert Hubbard quote, in order to have friends, you must first be one. Like friendship, leadership is a skill that has to be reciprocated to be fully appreciated. By its nature, leadership is a shared endeavor, with guidance, decisions, and strategies being passed down from the leader to the followers. But WOW leadership needs to go beyond that dynamic to include mentoring, where the skills and life lessons of vintage* veterans can be imparted upon the next generation of WOWs.

My experience with mentoring began almost immediately upon entering the world of leadership. I had the good fortune of working for a company that recognized and believed in training and developing great leaders. The philosophy of that progressive organization was that improving and strengthening the WOW skill set of those in (or working their way into) key positions was an investment in the collective success of the company. While there, I was part of a group that created a formal mentoring process for future young leaders. The program was largely successful, and for me, that experience solidified my passion for the value of mentoring.

Reciprocal Value

The reciprocal value of mentoring is one of its greatest attributes. Mentoring is not only an endeavor to help the up-and-coming leader; it’s a teaching as well as learning tool for the mentor herself.

Busy leaders, especially those in positions of power who are tasked with wide-reaching responsibilities, may feel there’s no time in their schedule to be a mentor. They may also question the relevance of mentoring, wondering what’s in it for me? Although that may not be a WOW attitude, it’s a realistic one. In the business world, the day-to-day realities often trump the idealistic larger picture. But for those who may be quick to brush aside the opportunity to mentor, you’re missing a huge opportunity to grow, improve, and become a better leader yourself.

Why do I mentor?

Mentoring provides numerous tangible and intangible benefits, including:

• Self-reflection: Through guiding others, there’s a tremendous organic opportunity to reflect on my own leadership strengths, weaknesses, and current and future goals. In addition, I hold myself accountable for my teachings.
• Connectivity: Via mentoring, I’m able to stay better connected to up-and-coming generations. As a baby boomer, my perspective on world issues, broad-based business topics, and life in general, is vastly different than that of Generation Xs, Generation Ys, or Millenniums. Keeping current helps me reign in the we didn’t have smart phones, laptops, or iPods back in the day” comments. Newer generations frankly don’t care! If you aspire to large-scale leadership, you will be leading many different generations, so you need to understand their perspective.
• Symbiotic Learning: Besides gaining new insights into the psyche of future generations, mentoring provides opportunities for symbiotic learning. Who better to learn new technology-based skills like Twitter and other social media than from those who live and breathe it? What may seem daunting and unfamiliar to those in my generation is second-nature to the younger crowd, who enjoy sharing their wisdom and providing pointers about their tech savvy.
• Leadership Renaissance: Once we become ingrained in a task, a position, or a way of life, we can end up operating on a kind of auto-pilot, having perfected our techniques and adapted to the demands of the day-to-day. Mentoring can provide a re-awakening or re-birth that ignites and excites the “fresh” and idealistic attitudes we had when we were just starting out.

The benefits of mentorship are endless, and will depend on how much you put into the process. Bottom line, however, is you will learn as much from your protégé as they will learn from you. Personally, I find the experience of mentoring invigorating, inspirational, and uplifting. It keeps me grounded as a leader and fulfilled as a person knowing I am part of a cycle of cooperation and kinship that embodies the spirit of WOW.

–Sheri Staak

*A vintage leader is one who is characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; a classic.