Leaders are Mentors – Whether They Like it or Not

Leaders are mentors (role models) whether they want to be or not.  The concept of a mentor is one who shares his experiences and knowledge with another to help the subordinate grown professionally or personally.

Everyday leaders (in business, associations, communities and families) are presented with the opportunity to mentor a subordinate.  As a leader you can choose to take the extra time to explain a process to a co-worker, share an experience with a new association member, pass on a word of hope to someone in your community or teach your family to be thoughtful of others.  Unfortunately, many times we don’t stop to take the time to fulfill our responsibilities as mentors.  If we don’t though, someone else will and the message they teach may not be what we want our future leaders to be learning.

As a leader in business, your association, your community or your family, you are a mentor.  Do you choose to willingly help others achieve their dreams and ambitions or will you unwillingly help them fall short of them?