The Power of Honest Mentorship
Posted on February 18, 2023 by Bryan Yates, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
Taking a leadership role in our own lives, our own growth, does not mean going it alone. It does not mean you must be the source of your own answers.
You can’t be simultaneously in the problem and the solution.
Taking a leadership role in our own lives, our own growth, does not mean going it alone. It does not mean you must be the source of your own answers. It does not mean you are required to be the originator of all your solutions. This is a hard pill to swallow for business owners and would-be organizational leaders and even later-career job seekers, who are all—like endurance athletes—accustomed to bulldozing a way forward under their own steam.
The President has a Chief of Staff.
A spiritual leader has a spiritual advisor.
A CEO has a Board Chair.
Managers have managers.
Therapists have therapists.
Coaches have coaches.
Hurting people have sponsors.
Done well, these kinds of relationships are special… and challenging, because we are forced open ourselves to the scrutiny of another. We must allow another person to see us for our vulnerabilities, insecurities, and imperfections. A close advisor will help us to:
DISCOVER the things we’ve been suppressing and avoiding;UNCOVER how those have turned up as blockages, fears & resentments;
DISCARD those deep limiting beliefs & patterns that slow us down;
IDENTIFY & RECLAIM our actual strengths and gifts that will propel us forward.
This can be a frightening process, because we’re forced to confront those long-standing beliefs we’ve constructed about ourselves. I’m talking about the kinds of beliefs that are so ingrained we fail to see how they’re moving our joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Our heads tell us “we’ve got this challenge,” but our underlying actions indicate something different. Because we’re so used to employing our ancient solutions, it’s impossible to feel where we’re actually stuck.
Again, this can be a frightening prospect, because we have to learn that we actually do have primal fears that go back much further than we care to acknowledge. We have to unpack some inner gunk to get down to the truth of what’s driving our patterns. Once that happens, we can begin the process of recognizing that the tools we used to get to this point will not longer work to get us where we want to go.
In today’s business landscape, this kind of work is particularly useful for people trying to find a job, leave a job, change jobs, or change careers. There’s a lot of discomfort fueled by uncertainty in that space. I’ve certainly experienced this in my own corporate career and past business partnerships.
Be brave. This journey of change is an inner journey from the head to the heart. That’s where real, lasting growth happens.
light & love, y’all.
Bryan
