Who is Your Role Model? Whose Role Model Are You?
We have all had people in our personal and professional lives that we have looked up to. For me, those individuals have been authentic, grounded, balanced, strong, focused, ethical, honest, and possessed a high level of integrity. I am extremely grateful for the individuals who have inspired me, pushed me, and helped me along certain pivotal points in my life. I pay it forward, and therefore do the same with individuals that I mentor.
My role models from an early age were my parents. My mother was a stay at home mum who put her children and husband first. My father was a blue-collar man, a truck driver who worked hard for his family. My mother represented love, kindness, generosity, and grounded me. My father represented loyalty, work ethic, strength, integrity, and honesty. They raised me to believe that I could do anything that I set my mind to, anywhere, and that I would always have their support along the way. I was very fortunate to have two wonderful role models from a young age and right up to their 60th wedding anniversary (my father passed away shortly afterwards); they represented unity as they still walked down the road holding hands. I was lucky indeed!
I have also had wonderful professional role models along the way. In my 20’s in Australia, Scott Loader and Bruce Walker. In my 30’s and 40’s in Canada, Carmen Poulin. These individuals had a strong sense of self and guided me along my professional journey. I will be forever indebted to them for the honesty in feedback, advice and suggestions they provided along the way.
As leaders I feel we have an obligation to assist those who have a desire to be more successful and are seeking our assistance to do so. I encourage you, if you do not already, to mentor individuals in your industry. Provide feedback and support and assist them in their career journey. You will find the reward and impact it has on you to be threefold in comparison to the effort you have to put in.
I encourage you to think about the individuals who have had a great impact on your career to date. What traits did they possess, how did they help you?
Now, list 1-3 individuals who may benefit from your mentoring. Reach out to at least one and offer your assistance and insight on their career.
And if you feel ill-prepared to either work with your role-model or be a mentor, connect with me by simply clicking on the button below to schedule a convenient time to have a quick call with me and I will help you. Alternatively, if you recognize a young star on their career path and realize they could benefit from coaching, please refer them to me. I love helping people succeed in their careers.
