I never viewed myself as a mentor. I have a notorious habit of keeping information as well as my network of friends and colleagues to myself. I don’t do this because I am being selfish. I do this because I have never really believed that I have done anything that warranted any insight. As such, I have this notorious habit of believing that there is nothing I can contribute because, in my mind, I don’t believe I have done anything special.
However, a few years ago, I started having these weird conversations. I would get these ‘can I pick your brain’ phone calls. They almost always started the same way. I would get a text, an instant message or an e-mail asking me if they could run something by me. In my mind, I’m thinking “Don’t know why you are asking me but ok”. And then almost EVERY phone call would start off with “I know you’re really busy, thank you for taking the time to talk to me”. Again, I’m thinking “Dude. I’m just Reeves. A plain ole simple country boy.”. Invariably, the conversation would last, at least, an hour. I like to listen first to get an idea of how I can contribute. Then, after listening to their uninterrupted speech, I then spend an equal amount of time expounding on what they were saying. At the end of conversation, I always end with “if you want to talk or bounce something off of me, let me know”. For some odd reason, this response is met with a measure of surprise.
Early on, I would have this conversation about once or twice every few months. However, in recent years, I have had this conversation about once a month. And each time, I find myself curiously confused as to why I am having these conversations.
It wasn’t until I had a recent conversation with one of my best friends who had to remind me that, whether I believed it or not, I was a ‘high value person’ and that people want to access persons of value.
I can tell you. I never viewed myself as a ‘high value person’. I still believe I am trying to access people of value myself. However, what I have come to accept is the reality that I am a mentor to some and the reason I spend so much time talking to those who seek my feedback is that I treat that reality seriously.
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m glad I am able to give meaningful feedback today. I am not sure what the definition of a ‘mentor’ is but I am hopeful that I am doing my part to be a good one.
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