Mentoring: The Classical Way to Achieve Peak Performance

In the spring of 2003 a number of the world’s leading scientists met for a memorable dinner in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After talking shop for some while, the conversation led to a discussion about the factors which had led them to pursue a career in science, rather than in other professions like medicine and law. The responses proved so fascinating, that the convenor of the get-together – John Brockman – hit on the idea of asking twenty-seven of the world’s leading scientists to write a brief reply to the question: ‘What happened when you were a kid that led you to pursue a life in science?’ These essays have been assembled in an intriguing book: Curious Minds: How a Child Becomes a Scientist. As might be expected, nearly all the contributors were brought up by intelligent and supportive parents, in homes where books abounded and questions encouraged as well as answered in depth. Many of the house guests were academics, who were as likely to discuss binary fission and magnetic resonance imaging as local gossip and baseball scores. But for me, one of the unexpected elements of these autobiographies, was that the vast majority had derived enormous benefit from the assistance, guidance and counsel of influential mentors. That support, they freely acknowledged, had been a crucial factor in the development of their illustrious careers.

The word ‘mentor’ has a long and distinguished pedigree. It stems originally from the Greek myth which describes how Odysseus, during his long voyages, entrusted the education of his son to his friend Mentor. The term gained its current usage at the very end of the seventeenth century when a French writer, Francois Fenelon, published a book Les Aventures de Telemaque in which the helpful lead character was called Mentor. From then on the idea of ‘mentoring’ took hold, and became a popular method of life style enhancement and growth. It’s now a highly regarded resource, widely used in management training, sports coaching and the education of disadvantaged children. According to the definition given by social psychologists, a mentor is ‘a usually more experienced person who is a trusted friend, counsellor or teacher. Their task is not to direct, but to reveal and develop the innate talent which lies within their protégés. That is the true purpose and essence of education, a word derived from the Latin educere, meaning ‘to bring forth that which lies within.’

Most successful people have a number of mentors during their lives, some of whom may have been heroes from bygone ages, or totally fictitious. Nietzsche was inspired by Napoleon III when he was a boy, but as he matured he followed the example and teaching of men of vision like Rousseau, Goethe and Schopenhauer. Barack Obama, in his early autobiography Dreams from my Father, tells how as a boy he tried to live up to the example of his father, who expected all his children to excel. Then as a university graduate his idols changed. He became a social reformer, eager to emulate the example of Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X. Alexander the Great was mentored by Aristotle and as a young prince grew up with legendary role models like Achilles and Herakles, and slept with copies of Homer under his pillow. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy, and yet he too benefited by the mentoring of Johann Christian Bach. Many of today’s most famous sportsmen owe their success to their personal gurus. David Beckham was mentored by Bobby Charlton, and Lance Armstrong, the incomparable long distance cyclist, by Eddy Merckx, himself a five-time winner of the Tour de France. This relationship is more than handing down the tricks of the trade. It’s a liaison based on mutual trust and respect. It involves listening, establishing priorities, recognising strengths and weaknesses, formulating action plans and encouraging new ways of thinking. Another objective is to boost the subject’s self-belief and confidence.

Mentoring is now widely used as a business management tool where it’s employed ‘to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.’ Thirty years ago, when desperate attempts were being made to help women executives break through the glass ceiling which barred their entry into the all-male bastions of company boardrooms, a study was made of fifty women who’d had the benefit of a mentor. Among this privileged group, ninety-four per cent reported that the relationship had been of significant benefit.  One typical comment was: ‘He saw that my abilities were acknowledged, that I was promoted and given credit for my accomplishments.’ One-in-three reported that their mentor had helped their self-confidence. ‘He showed me that I could do things that I never would have attempted without the encouragement and opportunity that he gave me.’  Any one wanting to know more about the use of mentoring in a business setting would benefit by reading D. Clutterbuck’s Everyone needs a mentor: fostering talent in your organisation, which is now in its forth edition.

Mentoring, however, should not be regarded as a learned skill or bolt-on management tool It’s a natural instinct, an intuitive desire to help and counsel our neighbours, kinsfolk, friends and business associates. Grandparents need no guidance to teach them how to mentor their grandchildren. It comes naturally. Never be afraid to ask for assistance. People are invariable glad to help, and generally flattered that you’ve chosen them to be their guardian angel. This is the way we develop mutual trust, break down the barriers which stand between us, and develop close, supportive communities. Whatever your role, whether mentor or protégé, the secret is to respond with optimism, eagerness and full commitment. That was the key advice of V.S. Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, who was one of the contributors to Curious Minds where he asserted: ‘I realized a long time ago that the best formula for success is to be around people who are passionate and enthusiastic about what they do, for there is nothing more contagious than enthusiasm.’

Copyright: Donald Norfolk 2010

www.donaldnorfolk.co.uk