North Idaho Alliance: 'M' is for Mentors. Do we all need them?
Marilee Wallace
NIA’s Women of Impact Leadership Roundtable October discussion was all about mentorships. More specifically who and why are they important and when in life do you need one.
Turns out everyone; no matter young or old, in school or in a career, retired, rephasing or just searching for improvement can use a mentor. And along this path of life, we can use different mentors at different times. “The best mentors can help us define and express our inner calling,” says Anthony Tjan, CEO of Boston venture capital firm Cue Ball Group and author of Good People. “But rarely can one person give you everything you need to grow.”
Mr. Tjan goes as far to identify five different mentor traits that everyone should experience to help them along their path and reminds us that mentors are truly what helps define us as human beings.
• Mentor No. 1: The master of the craft. This person is the best at what they do. The best. Period. You admire their skills, accomplishments, and talents. These masters of their crafts are often not asked to be mentors as they may be seen as unapproachable. They are not. Ask them. You’ll be glad you did.
• Mentor No. 2: The champion of your cause. These mentors are the connectors. They talk you up and introduce you around. These mentors are known for giving their mentee a step up, opening doors and making valuable introductions.
• Mentor No. 3: The co-pilot. Think of when you learned to drive a car. Someone sat in the seat next to you, talked you through each turn, checked your progress, supported you, and praised you along the way until you were able to drive on your own. We all need co-pilots in our lives, no matter where we are going.
• Mentor No. 4: The anchor. This mentor really knows you. Usually a family member or close friend, this person will patiently let you drift, watch as you test the waters and when they see you are moving off course, will pull you back to safety, lessons learned.
• Mentor No. 5: The reverse mentor. Usually we think of a mentor as an older, wiser person but this mentor offers a different perspective. This mentor is typically younger, has different ideas and mythology then you and typically offer a fresh approach to something and in doing so, updates your process of critical thinking.
With 27+ years of local community leadership, I’ve become a “go-to mentor connector” and I never say no! I’ve discovered that by chatting, listening and sharing, I can help women connect with the right tools and people to soar high! Nia-imapct.com is all about impacting women to be empowered and engage in their communities. Now spreading our message across three states, NIA’s is reaching women all over the Northwest, and we want YOU to join in! Just scan our QR code to jump in and learn more.
Next up: W.O.W Words of Wisdom (from wise women) you know someone that fits this? Send them our way! info@NIA-IMPACT.com
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Marilee Wallace, IOM, president/CEO of the North Idaho Alliance Women of Impact. The Women of Impact Leadership Roundtable meets once a month for a nine-month series, and we base our monthly agenda on the word IMPACTED. She can be reached at marilee@theniallaince.com.
