Why you will fail to have a great career...unless?

It was a Thursday night a few weeks ago and I was heading to Toronto to my first advisory board meeting regarding The MENTOR+ project. This was a very important meeting  as I really wanted to dissect our next moves and have a game plan over the next few months.

I have had the privilege working with these great mentors/advisors the past number of months. They are generous, kind and brilliant individuals but what has made them so successful is their passion. My mentors at the meeting spent a great deal of time talking to me about options, being flexible and the sacrifices I have to make in order to be successful. Some people would have left this meeting discouraged and given up because of the fear of failing. But what made me feel good was that I left the meeting more encouraged and motivated to keep moving forward. A confirmation that I wasn't afraid even the slightest to fail.

I think about The MENTOR+ project 24/7 and love to talk to individuals who are passionate in helping others reach their highest potential. So it's fitting that I found this TEDx talk by Larry Smith who shares on one of the key aspects of having a great career.

Here's a small bio of Larry Smith:
Throughout his three-decade career at the University of Waterloo, Larry Smith has inspired legions of students to take up the mantle of economics with his passionate and homespun tales of economic wizardry. A renowned story-teller, teacher and youth leadership champion, Larry has also coached and mentored countless numbers of students on start-up business management and career development strategies.

Highlights of Larry's talk and why I want a great career:

• Good jobs are now disappearing.
• Good jobs are high workload, blood sucking, high stress, soul destroying jobs and then there are those in between.

If you want a great career you have to pursue your passion but most decide not to do it because:

1. In order to have a great career people use the excuse that its a matter of luck.
2. Great careers are made for geniuses.
3. People with great careers are weird. So nice and normal people don't have passion?
4.  If I work hard I will have a great career and success. Are you sure? As all the evidence says the contrary.

Passion is your greatest love not your interests. Passion is beyond your interests. 

• You need 20 interests and then you might find your one passion. 
• Your passion engages you more than anything else in comparison with all your other interests.
• You must look for alternatives so that you find your destiny. Find the highest expression of your destiny. Does that scare you? If you settle for interesting then it's a missed opportunity.
• You will FIND your passion and still fail because your not going to DO IT. 

Larry uses an example of an excuse on human relationships...

• I want be a great friend, great parent but I will not sacrifice them because of great accomplishments. So suggesting you want a great career sounds somewhat unrealistic.
• Do you think it's appropriate to take children as a shield? What about if your son or daughter came to you, who is great in math, but says he wants to be magician. You say to them that is tough life, not much money, no security, etc.
• Are you going to say to them, I had dream to but I was afraid to pursue it? Do you want to use your family and see them as your jailers.
• Instead you could say go for it son... just liked I did! So the sins of the parent are visited on the children.
• Many seek refuge on their kids preventing them from pursuing their passion.

Some closing thoughts on "UNLESS":

Many are afraid to pursue their passion because they are going to fail. Instead of saying unless...

Or there are those that say..If only I had? Instead of saying unless...

Enjoy the video below, I hope it finds you more passionate than ever about your career! It did for me.

WHY do you do what you do?

How come some people or organizations are more successful than others?
Thanks to one of my business mentors for sharing this TED Talk video from Simon Sinek. Very simple wisdom but makes complete sense. Here are some points from the things that I learned and below the video. Enjoy!

• All the great and inspiring leaders or organizations act the same way.
• They use the concept of the Gold Circle - WHY - HOW - WHAT.
• All communicate from the inside out.
• People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.
• The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
• Nothing what Simon tells you in this video is his opinion but it's grounded in the tenants of biology. He explains the Law of Diffusion and Innovation in detail.
• Simon weaves it all together with several brilliantly told examples, from Apple computer, to the Wright Brothers, to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is the video, with my highest recommendations (it’ll change the way you look at what you do). 

Social Mentoring made easy!

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

Congratulations to Earl Robinson from Toronto, Canada for winning a copy of THE SPEED OF TRUST by Stephen M.R. Covey.

Watch for a new contest coming in the next few weeks. Get yourself signed up to keep updated on The MENTOR+ Project's social network announcement launch coming soon!

Social Mentoring made easy!

The Speed of Trust

The One Thing That Changes Everything
I had the privilege attending an online seminar this week conducted by G5 Leadership with special speaker Stephen M.R. Covey discussing the Speed of Trust and that "trust is a hard-edged, economic driver—a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing."


Here is some of the notes I took from seminar. Hopefully you find them helpful enough to check out the book.
The first 3 big ideas:
1. Trust is a economic driver, not merely a social driver
2. Trust is the #1 leadership competency of the new global economy
3. Trust is a learnable competency

Myths
Trust is a soft, nice to have social virtue

Realities
Trust is a hard-edged economic driver
Nothing is as fast as the SPEED of Trust
Not trusting people is more risky
Trust can be learned

4 Cores of Credibility
Character:
1. Integrity - takes humility and even when their is a cost
Competence
2. Intent - what's our motive
3. Capabilities
4. Results

Trust is a function of two things:
1. Credibility
2. Behavior

"It takes 20 year to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it." --- Warren Buffet

The book discusses 13 Characters of Building Trust. Here are six shared from the seminar.
1. Talk Straight
2. Create Transparency
3. Clarify Expectations
4. Listen first
5. Keep commitments
6. Extend trust

I highly recommend this book it's well worth the read and may change your thinking on social mentoring in your organization and personal life. 

Online mentoring made easy!

New Level… New Devil

Dealing with our fears of judgment + building a trusting Mentoring relationship

Co-authored by Greg Johnston and Chris Sherwood

I must admit that I have struggled with feelings of intimidation being around teachers, leaders, authority figures or anyone in a position of influence or power or who may have more knowledge than I.The main reason is that I have feared others’ judgment - judgment of my experiences; my successes, as well as my failures; my knowledge (or lack thereof); my clothes; the cars I have driven... pretty much any aspect of me as a person (or who I am not) or my character. It has taken me years – a lifetime, in fact – to overcome these fears… and at times I still have them.

And yet, with having my own fears of judgment, one might think that I would be sensitive to others who may consider me to be their teacher, leader or authority figure and who may struggle with the same fears. Sadly, I cannot make this claim. At times, it is I who has been the one to judge – something for which I am ashamed to have to admit and something that I find difficult to understand about myself.

Whether knowledge, power or influence actually exists in hierarchies or not, it is the perception that they do and that we may reside on a rung lower than another that is the impetus for such fears. Irrespective of whatever rung we may consider ourselves to be on (assuming that we do), it is the belief that there are rungs and that they do in fact exist in levels that drives our behaviours one way or another… hence the focus of this blog "New Level… New Devil".

What are your thoughts on power and authority? 

 Do you perceive yourself to be near the top of the ladder, and if so, how does it feel being there? Does it evoke feelings of superiority? Conversely, do you perceive yourself to be near the bottom and if so, do you struggle with feelings of inadequacy? Either way, have you ever stopped to think about where you are on your hierarchical ladder and the feelings that you have with being there? Perhaps it is more important to ask whether there is a ladder at all? For if there were no ladder, could we even be capable of generating feelings such as superiority or inadequacy?

Irrespective of where any one of us may be, do we not all need support from others and do we not all have responsibility to serve others who also need our support? If you just answered “no” to the preceding questions and you are not a plumber, perhaps you may answer them differently the next time your pipes are leaking water into your home. The bottom line is that none of us can get through life on our own – an axiom that is simply undeniable.

So that we can be more aware of our actions and the driving forces for them, it is important that we stop to reflect on what our individual experiences are regarding the various social hierarchies that exist around us and how we perceive ourselves to fit within them… if we do at all, perceive ourselves to fit within them, that is. It is also interesting to consider what the impact is on our society with respect to our collective experiences of both judging and being judged. If fears of judgment can hold us back individually, how might we be held back collectively by the same?

Personal Experience

Over the past few months I have had the privilege of meeting a number of individuals regarding The MENTOR+ project, many of whom are or have been Senior Directors within Fortune 500 companies. For people in these positions to succeed in growing their billion dollar businesses, they have to be able to lead large numbers of employees – in some cases hundreds or more. Simply put, these are people who define overachievement, so was little ol’ me intimidated to meet them? You betcha… I was petrified! Would they like my ideas or would they laugh at them and think them to be stupid? Before each meeting, I had to wrestle my fears of judgment to the ground and make the conscious choice to not give in to them. If I didn’t and chose to forgo the opportunity to meet, my fears would have gotten the better of me… and this MENTOR+ Project in which I believe so passionately may have gone nowhere. However, I have had to get to the point of asking myself "What's the worst thing they are going to say? NO?" So, what's there to worry about… in this case, nothing.

However, there are other cases where the answer to the question, “’What’s the worst thing they are going to say?’ isn’t just a simple ‘No!’” In some cases, as in some employment situations, one’s fears of judgment from asking this question may be realized in negative ways and thus, a cycle of intimidation is often perpetuated and at times opportunities for both employee and employer may be lost.

Judgment affects us all… it affects people at both the top of the so-called hierarchical ladder and also the bottom. With judgment comes fear of failure, but also fear of success. What is the solution? Mentoring relationships built on trust. Having these provides opportunities for us to deal with both our individual, but also our collective fears.

So, here are 4 things to consider:

• With respect to the position(s) you hold, consider where you fit in the hierarchy and how it feels being in that spot. Do you feel powerful or powerless… or, depending on your circumstance, do you feel both? 
• Reflect back to a time when you felt judged and how it felt to be so. Now consider whether you could be judging someone(s) else. 
• Do you have any good ideas that you haven’t taken action to implement? If so, what is stopping you? Would sharing your ideas put your well-being at risk? If so, are there other options?
• Are you in a role with decision-making authority for others? If so, how do you approach it? Do you consider the role a privilege or a right; an opportunity to serve, or an opportunity to be served? 

JUST ASK...because:

• everyone has the capacity to be a mentor; and 
• we were born with the inherent need for support (a.k.a. mentorship) from others; and
• we often fear being open with our real thoughts and feelings; and
• sometimes our fears are based on legitimate risks to our well being; and
• none of us exist in isolation; and
• we have access to information, but so often it is hard to know what is accurate and what is not; and
• we live in a world where it can be difficult to know whether someone is truly qualified to provide the support we need; and 
• even if we do know how to tell if someone were qualified, being able to access them could be impossible; and
• all too often, people in positions of authority use their position to serve themselves and not others and so good ideas are often squelched before they ever have a chance to see the light of day; and
• collectively, we all – and I mean ALL – suffer from peoples’ unrealized opportunities; and
• there is a huge need for systems that can help to fill the huge gaps just identified… hence the MENTOR+ Project.

MENTOR+ Project Update

Searching for and pulling together individuals who would be willing to serve as advisors to The MENTOR+ project or as members of the inaugural Board of Directors has been somewhat of a challenging task, but we are making big strides. At first I thought I am never going to get the people I need to take this project to the next level, but as I met with people and discussed with them my passion for this project, many individuals said “YES!”...and of course some said “NO!” I am thankful to everyone who took time to meet with me and especially so to those who have agreed to be involved more formally to help move this project to the next stage of its development. I will be announcing very soon who these individuals are, so keep your eyes peeled.

Please sign up on the website at The MENTOR+ project so you can get updates on the status of our development and announcements on how we are doing. M+ will be a platform where people can be more open, more creative, more courageous, more supported, more helpful, more interconnected, more democratic… more… MENTOR+ more…

M+ will help individuals achieve their full potential and together it will help us all achieve our collective potential. Make the decision today to become a part of breaking down the barriers that hold you back and that hold us all back.

Don't worry about being judged just ASK and move forward!

PEOPLE - PROCESS - PASSION

Rolling in the deep? Be a Giant to someone.

From watching the Grammys, I wanted to find out what “Rolling in the Deep” means, so I did a little investigation. The following description was the one I liked best, one which is based on old fashioned and poetic language: "Rolling in the Deep is what a ship far out at sea does. The image is a small ship tossed on a very deep, dark ocean". The lyrics conjure an image of the man alone in a deep sea of despair like a lonely ship rolling in the waves of the deep ocean - Rolling in the Deep. I know that I have been in many situations where I was rolling in the deep and it wasn't until I asked for help from a Giant – a mentor – that I could begin to make decisions that would help me to get to calmer waters.

Watching ADELE take home six Grammys reminded me of how much of an impact one person can make when they share themselves and their life issues with others. Through the music on her album “21”, Adele shared how she was so deeply affected by a personal loss that so many others of us have also experienced – the loss that happens when breaking up with one’s partner. Through her own pain and the power of music, Adele was able to help others cope with their pain. And although she did not necessarily have this intention at the time she wrote her music, she nevertheless became a powerful force for others who needed this.

In my life, both personally and professionally, when I have been down, I have had some great Giants come along and pick me up off my feet to help me get back on track. They may have observed in me and my situation things that reminded them of circumstances they had previously been in. By sharing their own stories with me, they tried to help me, not by telling me what to do, but instead by getting me to see things through a different set of lenses – the lenses of experience. The value of this support to me has been immeasurable.

Most mentors are passionate about helping others, especially when they see people suffering and when they believe that they can do something that can help to relieve it. In these situations, a mentor who shares their journey with a person demonstrates empathy and compassion, which reminds them that they are not alone. This simple act can change a person’s life forever.

Here are 4 characteristics of a great Giant:

Be a great communicator.
Cultivate a mastery of language and expression. You have the ability to be an effective communicator and to use it in a way that can entertain, educate, and inspire people every day.

Use your words to encourage.
At one time in my life, criticizing others and launching attacks on my opponents was the only way I could stay in control of situations, but invariably, the consequences were negative. No doubt this approach left others feeling unhappy, but it also did the same to me, causing an inner turmoil that was difficult to resolve. Giants need to be highly attuned to the feeling of others, but also to themselves so they can measure their responses by remaining calm in stressful situations.

Master Criticism.
Being a Giant means tapping into the "better angels of our nature", to use our strengths in service for others – a purpose that is much higher than ourselves and whatever personal gain we may think we will achieve. This means being able to listen to others and what they think and feel about us.

Discipline to build character.
To actually be a true Giant or Mentor requires actively engaging in a process of self-reflection and a willingness to sculpt one’s character into one that focuses outside of itself. It first means taking an honest look at yourself and being able to acknowledge both your strengths and the areas that need work. By acknowledging your strengths, you can use these to help others who could benefit from them. Helping others is one of the most powerful ways to shape your character and to finding your true purposes in life.

One of the objectives of The MENTOR+ project is to bring Giants – aka mentors – together with individuals or organizations that are in need of exactly this type of guidance. We are currently building an online social community platform that will make that much easier.

Please join me in helping build a life story for yourself and others. I am excited and passionate about the M+ community and what it will have to offer. Sign-up and be one of the firs beta-testers. BE A GIANT!

Helping to release people to their highest potential.

Why the MENTOR+ project?

Greg Johnston, M+ 

Becoming successful at anything takes dedication and hard work, but even then sometimes it helps to have guidance from others who have been there - people who have achieved the things you want to achieve.

Through his own personal and professional journey to find success, Greg Johnston has truly come to understand the importance of positive intentional mentoring relationships. Looking back, when Greg needed the support of others who could relate to his issues, provide answers to his questions, or just offer wisdom to help him get to the place he wanted to go, Greg found solutions from his mentors... a advocate... a Champion!

So, Greg thought to himself, “Why shouldn't everyone be able to find the support of a mentor(s)?” This led Greg to create The Mentor+ Project – a disruptive social online community that matches mentors with mentees through a truly innovative social networking platform that is professional and informative, while also being simple and fun to use! "It is unlike any other mentoring platforms out there today."

Whether you feel that you are the mentor someone could be looking for or the potential mentee who is seeking knowledge from others, you need to visit The MENTOR+ project and become a member! Sign-up today so that we can keep you updated on our upcoming BETA launch and any other future developments. As an added incentive over the next while we will be holding contests that will be open to all the members or followers.Winners will receive prizes that could even include a special introduction to our Mentor Mogul.

Join us in the journey it's going to be AMAZING!