Mentor – a person who gives younger or less experienced person help and advice over a period of time , especially at work or school (definition based on Cambridge Dictionary).
I had just few Mentors on my way. Not complete ones. ‘Semi-Mentors’. Those from whom I could learn and grow😏.
Funny, but when I think about mentor I see:
=>Jean Claude Van Damme in the movie Bloodsport from 1988 and his trainer who teaches him how to kick a tree😊;
=>Rocky’s charismatic trainer – Mickey Goldmill in black cap;
=>Joseph Kittinger who was on the phone with Felix Baugmartner in his 2012 jump from 39.000 meters in Red Bull Stratos.
If you meet true Mentor on your way – you feel significant acceleration🚀. I am talking about true Mentor. Today Linked In is full of ‘coaches’ who are trying to teach you how to live. But who never lived abroad, never seen death in the workplace, never seen fear, never worked under stress for few months without a day off. Never argued in foreign language. True Mentor in business gives you so much competitie advantage, you cannot imagine✨.
Mentor guides you🎯. Mentor opens your eyes towards right decision🔮. Helps you avoiding common mistakes. But also allows you to make some mistakes, to push your learning curve😊.
Usually Big Corporate Employers asign ‘artificial’ mentor to you. As this is somehow ‘embaded’ in the system. Corporate built mentoring programs, so HR software need to asign one to you. Calendar has to be filled in for mentoring calls. In most of the cases – you met random person, who has no skills, no life experience to guide you. It is always a clash. Your mentor knows nothing about you. You do not trust him – as you also do not know him. This is embarassing for both. A waste of time.
Once, I was on MD Yearly Meeting in the capital of Balkan country. There were +20 MDs (smart & hard working people) from more than 20 European Countries. It was European HQ yearly meeting – it turned into the most demotivating 3 days in my MD life. Normally, HQ Managemant and Owners should share with us: belief, power and energy. Instead – it was 3 days of: complaints, pointing mistakes, crushing confidence. Total disaster. Ok – I agree results were far from perfect. But this is not the point here. Not at yearly meeting. Either you stand for the team, or you share frustration. If you share frustration to others, I think most probably you have problems with yourself.
To turn things positive. Well, I have worked in +20 coutries. Physically being there for weeks, sleeping in cities. Being with people in offices and on dinners (after hours). Dancing at the disco and exploring night life in New Delhi as well🔋.
If one day I would open my mentoring sessions, please trust me😊. I am reliable. I had many sucesses🔦, I tasted also many mistakes🔍.
One thing I still miss till today – Mentors.
Lukasz Baranowski
Founder of Lux Coin
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