“Before working with Florin I had little to no hope of turning around the situation I was facing at work. During the 12 months of Florin’s mentorship, my hope returned, as well as the strength to face the work obstacles I had ahead of me.”

“Without Florin’s mentorship, I would not have had the same leadership tools and self-insight in my backpack that I have today. Florin has moved me, pushed me and piqued my curiosity to seek new paths and new methods to become an even better version of myself, and as a strategic and operational leader.”

This is just some of the kind feedback I have received from some of my mentoring clients.

Now, I don’t share these testimonials to brag (although, of course, I am proud of my clients and what they have accomplished in our time working together). But rather, I want to communicate something crucial to you today…

Every leader needs a mentor.

If I were reading the words of my clients I might find it hard to believe that something like mentorship could have such a profound impact on them. I might think it was just a sales gimmick. That is, I might – if I didn’t know mentorship was powerful from my own personal experience.

As a young leader I thought I knew most of what there was to know about leadership (ha!). I thought as the leader, I gave direction and my team followed it, and that was leadership (double ha!). But then I met a man named Eric.

Eric was my own mentor – and he changed the way I saw leadership.

And not just leadership in general, but my own leadership. He saw my leadership, my style, my limited experience, and he supplemented it with his insight. And because of that, I gained understanding that might otherwise have taken me years to find – if I ever did at all.

If you have been leading for any great length of time, you know that there is much for you to learn about leadership. And most likely, the longer you have been leading, the more you know there is for you to learn! But many new leaders don’t see the need. They might want to get used to their position, but so many think, “I know what leadership is – why would I need someone else to tell me?”

Because the more we think we know, the less teachable we are… the more liable we are to make mistakes. And almost certainly, they are mistakes that others have made before us, and can guide us away from!

If I had to start my leadership career over again without the knowledge I have now, the first thing I would do is get a mentor.

And here is why.

1. Having a mentor improves leaders’ self-awareness. Not only do we seek out mentors for their perspective on our own leadership, but inviting a trusted expert into our leadership forces us to look at ourselves with a new and fresh set of eyes.
   
   
2. Having a mentor helps leaders cultivate a growth mindset. A mentor’s insights challenge us to see our obstacles not as things to overcome but as opportunities to develop. Problems are plentiful in the leadership landscape, and mentorship helps us expand our problem-solving skills through growth.
   
   
3. Having a mentor allows leaders to model growth for their team members. Leaders’ teams do what they see, not what they are told. They will know that we value growth when they see us investing in it by seeking mentorship.

Who is speaking into your leadership? I would be happy to help – I do have coaching options available – but if not me, then who will you give license to walk with you toward your most effective leadership?

You’ll be glad you did!

That’s all for now. 🙂

Become your best version,

Florin