Peer mentoring was the start of change for me. When I say change, it put me on a completely different life path of personal growth and a commitment to greatness. It all started when I joined a local professional organization with a big emphasis on personal development. I remember one of my first meetings being inspired by a man that gave a talk that summarized like this:
“Always surround yourself with people who are better than you. They will push you. You will learn from them.”
Another one of my first meetings, the speakers’ message was:
“ Make sure you do something everyday that scares you. Push yourself outside your comfort zone.”
That day, I just so happened to be sitting at a table with a lady who was a coach. She leaned over to me, seeing that I was totally inspired, and said, “What is one thing you can commit to, today? I will hold you accountable to get it done.” That day, I made a commitment to face my fear of public speaking. I had an opportunity sitting in front of me to speak to a group of nearly 100 people at an upcoming professional group. I took the challenge, scared to death, and pulled it off. That day was my baseline for public speaking and facing fear and that coach is now a lifetime mentor and friend. Today, public speaking is part of my daily career. It started with inspiration from peers and the magic of a mentor, encouraging me and holding me accountable.
Mentoring people, especially the next generation, is something I find incredibly rewarding. I love to find people with a passion for greatness, whether they know exactly what they want to do or are clueless, the passion fuels our relationship. To help someone find his or her “Why” in life and set goals to achieve it is incredibly rewarding. We have developed an internship program that has enabled me to really commit to mentoring at a deeper level with structured accountability. I encourage all of us, as leaders, to create a system in business, like an internship program, to pay it forward. The growth and joy that interns have brought to my life is immeasurable.
