Read Read Read to Grow

I'm a big fan of self-help books. There, I said it. Does that make me an "airy fairy New Agey" type of person? Perhaps. What I'd like to think that it makes me growth oriented. Business and self-help books out there today are better than they've ever been. It should be a priority for any person in business today to read some of the great material out there and to continue wanting to always grow, always learn and always strive for better. Something I've enjoyed discovering is exactly how much I don't know, a fact underscored by every great personal growth author on the market. Every day I hear about a new book I want to read or a new philosophy I'd like to learn more about so there is never any shortage of amazing material. Since time is limited I enjoy listening to books on audio and try to listen to at least one a week during my morning commute. Some of the ones I've recently checked out include:

• "The Tipping Point", by Malcolm Gladwell - a classic for any industry or person. Delving deep into behaviors and what drives consumers at the core, it's a fun and very enlightening read.
• "Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes For An Answer", by Michael A Roberto - a bit more of an involved read but truly great message; addressing the "yes culture" so prominent in most corporations today, and how to deal with it.
  
• "Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die", by Chip Heath - great logical flow from The Tipping Point. Fun cover and fun read. Marketing must!
  

Just consider an excerpt from Mr. Gladwell: "I think that word of mouth is something created by three very rare and special psychological types, whom I call Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen." Now ... wouldn't you be curious as to which one YOU fall under, or if you are a marketer or salesman, which one your customer or boss falls under?

Mentors come in different shapes & sizes

The topic of mentoring is an issue of demand and supply, as well as the mentored person him or herself. Everyone wants one, few have one and fewer yet are ready for one. My husband recently reminded me of a saying that is ancient yet very appropriate here: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears”. Most of us proclaim we are more than ready, often feeling resentful when the teacher does not appear as timely as we feel they should. Something to keep in mind when searching for a mentor is that you have to be ready.

“Ready” means being:

• Humble
• Receptive and open-minded
• Interested
• Passionate
• Curious

I mention being humble for several reasons; in order to learn anything you must accept that you don't know everything. A great example of this is Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie", an incredible story about a successful journalist, an old man and learning life skills. My favorite mentor and one whom I attribute a great deal of my personal success to, was an incredibly difficult teacher. "Tough Love" does not come close to describing his approach to mentoring me. I was in my early 20s and arrogant to boot. Ken took me under his wing, "broke me down" (sounds awful but it's effective) in order to build me up and then gave me a foundation to stand on my own two feet in business. I've been lucky enough to have several mentors since then, all with their own twist on things and with their own unique approach. However, as different as each of my three mentors have been, there is a common red thread; there was no sugar coating, no pampering of ego and no silk gloves. I miss that.

On a final note ... be open to the fact that your mentor may not take the shape and form of a silver-haired, all-knowing zen master look-a-like. Sometimes the best mentors are simply those that you respect, whose advice you value and whose direction is proven. Age can play a factor but a good mentor is really more about being wise than old. With maturity comes wisdom, with wisdom comes leadership. Since true leadership is earned and not awarded many fantastic mentors might be informal leaders; not in title but in spirit. Seek out those in your organization whom you respect and the rest will follow.