The Delicate Balance of Knowing when to Lead, Coach, Mentor or Parent
March 27, 2012
Do you ever find yourself in the weird space of trying to, instantaneously I may add, figure out which role you need to take on? Maybe a young member of your team needs some guidance on a particular thing, now quickly, which hat to wear?
As we learn and as we learned when someone either taught us the right way or we figured out that what we were told was totally wrong, the guidance will most likely stay with you for a long while. For me, some of the lessons are now 30 years old, I am 47. Not just business lessons, but moral and “self-regard” lessons. Lessons that you are proud that you learned along the way and that you want to bestow upon the person willing to heed good common-sense based advice without them thinking you are trying to navigate for them. Delicate indeed.
We have all learned from others, watching, listening, mimicking, doing the complete opposite of what we saw, etc... What are you displaying that others may need to know, see or hear? Or not?
It is up to us, even if you consider yourself average or less than average, in regards to teaching, Just Do It. The people you may influence, for the most part you may not even know you are influencing some of them, will keep those memories forever. What are you delivering to the masses? Would you be proud to have your kindergarten aged child see what you are doing over the course of the day ... the night? This thought scares me from where I have been to in some of my younger years!
My motto: I am a work in progress. Never satisfied with my delivery, always working on my content and the proper way to introduce my mission of EXCELLENCE to others.