I’ve been fortunate to have many mentoring influences in my life.  However, there are two that stick out as particularly impactful.  One was extremely impactful to me because he reinforced taking bold actions.  He taught me to trust my instincts and move.  Having listened to me, worked with me and observed my leadership, gave him the confidence that my instincts were generally correct and if I was contemplating an action, it was worthy of doing.  All I then needed was the encouragement off the ledge to do it.

The second individual I admire as a mentor was unique because he inquired about all aspects of my life.  When we would meet, he would be patient to listen to me talk about whatever I was concerned with or was bothering me at the moment.  Then throughout the conversation he would be sure to ask about other facets.  He would ask about my family.  He would ask about my marriage and even my faith life.  He would ask about friendships or other activities.  I later came to learn why he did this.  It was so that he could read my reactions and ensure that I was not giving him a false picture of what I needed to improve upon.  He believed that if there was an aspect that was in need of attention, it would either get the attention it deserved or become a distraction from whatever else I was trying to achieve.  Thus, no stone could remain unturned.  No facet unexamined.  This strikes me as unconventional because we so often become compartmentalized to our jobs.  Sometimes we hear only what we want to hear instead of truly listening.  A full questioning model creates the discipline to make sure he has an opportunity to listen.  Beyond just listening, it showed a greater degree of caring.  It was a demonstration that he truly cared about me as a person, a whole person.

So ultimately, what made these mentors special was being encouraging, listening and caring.  So basic, yet so rare.