HOW TO CREATE AWESOME MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS FOR CEO'S
Whenever you ask a CEO who their mentors are, nearly all will talk about their past, i.e. who their mentors were. There are a number of reasons for this as you can imagine. One of the main ones is they have outgrown, or have become more knowledgeable and thereby smarter, so the mentor is no longer needed. Of course being mentored should not be based upon need alone, but still few find it easy to say who they look up to or archetype now as mentors, or even role models! If they are pressed to share, most will feel obligated to speak about someone famous, or well known (to the fraternity of business executives) for their ability to increase rapidly the “bottom line, company growth, perhaps international expansion” etc., attached to and elucidating what these people have done, rather than who they are.
In reality, mentoring or having a mentor or two is very personal and very private, except of course where it is advantageous to not be so. This advantage depends entirely on certain criteria which one needs to know before opening the mouth to reveal what could lead to divulging some very important personal information – both theirs and their mentors. This could leave you categorised for life once the media locks on to it – great if it is very positive for you, but what if it’s not and what if the mentor for their own reasons, does not wish to be linked with you publicly!
The answer to this is to give your mentor an alias, a fictitious name. A name nobody can link to any specific individual and vice versa! This will give both parties incredible freedom and prevent the media and other opponents from doggedly following both around trying to predict your next move by who you may hold as an example to emulate or follow etc., as they won’t know who you or your mentor are talking about!
To become and remain a great and exceptional CEO you need to choose wisely and well your mentors. After all they are meant to be guiding you into and showing you your future being and persona while honing your abilities and capabilities, your exceptional talents etc., for ultimate fulfilment of your dreams/vision and your life’s mission.
Here are some of the key attributes to look for in a mentor, in order to ensure you have an awesome relationship with them as a CEO in a mentoring program with its coaching processes.
- Professional attitude
- Longevity in business
- Proactive
- Profuture
- Pro-adversarial
- Pro-confrontational
- Exceptional character
- Extraordinary life experience
- Unshakeable purpose
- Unafraid of mistakes
- Truth seeker
- Decision maker
- Change creator
- Pressure controller
- People watcher
- Person developer
- Knows the power and purpose of stress
- Understands position, prestige, power and profit (wealth)
- Most importantly uses alias’s to keep away prying eyes and ears.
Just to name some of the more important aspects for an awesomely beneficial and productive mentoring relationship.
©John R Fergusson
For more on this very important work contact me at your earliest at: johnfergusson@bacup.com.au