Who are your Mentors and are you applying what you’ve learned from them to mold you to be a great mentor yourself?
The actual definition of a Mentor is as follows; an experienced and trusted adviser, an experienced and trusted person who gives another person advice and help, esp. related to work or school, over a period of time. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.
Throughout our years, we have all had certain mentors in our life that have impacted us in the way we think, the way we act, that molded our belief in ourselves and our habits. Certain mentors along our way could have actually been the pivotal point in our life that projected us in the direction of where we are today.
In my interview with Brad Sugars, the Founder of Action Coach, he mentioned not only was it him attending a conference and meeting the late and great Jim Rohn. It was most importantly the conversations that he had with Jim Rohn that day and years later that directed his life in a certain direction. Brad also mentioned that many of his mentors like many of us were not met in person, however, read about in biographies or memoirs of those great people.
Myself, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a couple of the late greats of Zig Ziglar and Og Mandino. I’ve met Colin Powell, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Pat Riley, President Bush, Tony Robbins and many others.
Some of my mentors have also came from the great books I’ve read along the way, like “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, “The Psychology of Winning” by Dennis Waitley, “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “Dare to Win” by Mark Victor Hansen, Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins, just to name a few.
I share this in the understanding that we all inherit certain qualities from all of the people we meet along the way. Whether we just heard them speak, read their book or met them personally.
Some of our first mentors were our parents who instilled certain qualities and values in us that we live today. It could have been a teacher in school that took the time to listen and guide us. It could be a leader of an organization you represented that has profoundly impacted you in a positive and productive way. It could have just simply been someone that witnessed more in you than you witnessed in yourself that created the possibilities for you to go for it with more confidence than you had before.
We have actually lost a great South Florida mentor in Wayne Huizenga this past Thursday who died of cancer in his home in Fort Lauderdale. Wayne Huizenga brought us Waste Management, Blockbuster Video, Auto Nation, the Florida Marlins and the Florida Panthers. He was also an owner of the Miami Dolphins for 15 years. In 1999, he and his wife Marti donated $4 million to Nova Southeastern University that led to the Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
The Huizenga family has donated countless millions to many charities like the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the Make a Wish Foundation, Kids in Distress and many other great causes.
Many that served under or alongside Wayne says; “the entrepreneurial mindset, the pep talks, and the time he took to provide insight and guidance were absolutely invaluable.”