The value in having a mentor

Everyone needs a mentor.
A mentor doesn't necessarily have to be someone you spend large amounts of time with, or even someone that you work with.
Just as Luke Skywalker needed Obi Wan Kenobi to help him realise his potential, from time to time we require the same level of guidance. Wanganui has no shortage of these types of people and their skills and knowledge are a key foundation of the dynamic businesses that are the backbone of our local economy.
I have been fortunate to have learned from some of the best business minds inside and outside of New Zealand. When you have a mentor it is the best of business relationships because the mentor invests in your development and takes you under their wing. At times their words and wisdom are priceless.
"Baby steps". On their own these words don't mean much. But a couple of weeks ago, a local businessman I respect and regard as a "mentor-in-waiting" used these words to describe implementing change to a process.
But the concept is more sage than just its application to any single particular method. Any kind of change, particularly those which are positive and bring order to disorder, take time and we need to be realistic about the time required to achieve our goal. But, likewise, to be effective change needs to be made in bite-sized chunks, rather than the blitzkrieg approach.
To get the results required and value from any continuous improvement initiative, you need to be prepared to invest time and resources in implementing the approach and patient to allow the fruits to develop fully.
You are unlikely to halve your meeting times in a single week because you are making big, wholesale change and expecting big results, which is a recipe for disappointment. It is kind of like me expecting to play Stairway to Heaven on the guitar without lessons - you can try it but the result is not music to the ears.
All the great achievements came after the investment of time and acknowledgement of what was required to achieve the end goal and small increments of progress. For example, Martin Luther King Jnr's "I have a dream" speech would not likely get the same reception and historical note had he delivered it as a student at Booker T Washington High School. We also wouldn't have had a space shuttle without the Gemini and Apollo space programmes, nor would Edison have invented the lightbulb had he not developed his aptitude for invention while working as a telegrapher.
History notes, though, that Edison had a mentor named Franklin Leonard Pope who fostered Edison's talents and shaped his direction. Look behind all success and you will find a mentor or two, and baby steps leading to the significant outcome.
Zenith Solutions is a Wanganui-based management consulting practice. Contact russell@zenith-solutions.co.nz or phone 0212442421.