Mentors

I had dinner last night with a friend and mentor of mine – Dr. Joe Martin from U of T. He is a professor at the Rotman School of business – previously the managing partner of Deloitte’s consulting practice. I used to sit on the board of directors of Angoss Software (www.angoss.com) with him.

He is very seasoned and experienced. Always has a story to tell and has interesting insights. He has a keen understanding and interest in history. We can learn from history and sometimes I wish I spent more time studying it.

I am a big believer in mentors – primarily informal ones. Ones who are nice enough to be friends but honest enough to tell me how it is. I have a fairly large rolodex of mentors that I can call on for different purposes. Mentors help me find clarity or as I call it, they help me unlock the advice I have within myself.

Ideally when I meet with a mentor, I like to know what questions I want to ask. Sometimes just figuring out the questions gives me the answers I want. Last night I lacked clarity to even know the questions to ask which is why is good that Joe and I are such good friends that it does not matter as much.

I like to use the Think – Mentor – Think method. I think about my challenges, then meet with my chosen mentor then think about the solutions and action I will take.

Driving home I realized how much I enjoyed his conversation and advice. Although the dinner was long and not in my usual quick style, it made me think that some things are not meant to be rushed.