Be Different or be dead

February 15, 2016

Why the most amazing mentors are super good at failing

Source: Pexels

Why the most amazing mentors are super good at failing.

Why does everyone seem to look for a mentor who is just smart, who has an impressive academic pedigree?

There are so many people willing to offer career guidance. The airwaves are cluttered with opinions and advice.

Everyone’s an expert on something.

Who do you listen to? Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Who do you follow?

And how do you recognize when someone is blowing smoke at you and feeding their own ego?

My advice to you is to be guided by individuals who have had a rich and long career actually doing stuff; lots of stuff.

▪️ People who have demonstrated achievements in the areas that intrigue you;

▪️ People who have implemented successful strategies in an environment of unpredictable and chaotic change;

▪️ People who have failed their way to success in unpredictable market conditions such as the pandemic.

Be wary of those who merely postulate what should be done based on text book doctrine alone.

Theory is not always a trustworthy beacon for what works and what doesn’t work in the real world.

Just because theory says it is the right thing to do doesn’t mean it is. There are too many variables that can never be explained by theoretical doctrine.

Look to people who have been there/done that for guidance; people who have a blemished record of trying things that didn’t always pan out the way they expected them to.

These are people who have learned that a minor portion of theory with a major dose of practicality is the formula for success.

Look for those who have a track record of failure.

Don’t get mesmerized by blue oceans which sound cool on paper and in theory but rarely exist in reality (or if they do, they’re discovered to have been blue after the fact).

They are ‘sorta blue-grey’ or ‘dirty blue-green’ in reality. And they need to be treated as such.

Find someone who is guided by practicality not theory or a cool blue idea.

Find someone who has a stellar record of achievement in a vague world with murky and turbulent coloured oceans.

Who exudes trust.

Who speaks passionately.

Who has winning and failing stories to tell.

Who is a teacher looking for a student willing to learn.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 2.15.16 at 04:37 am by Roy Osing
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