Buffer

I first read this book a over a year ago. I remember that there were a lot of great principles in there, but now that I’m a father I wanted to read it again. And this time around, I was able to read it on my Kindle.

The first chapter of Tony’s book talks about how Mentor Leaders focus on the significance that they are building into other people’s lives; which is more important than any number of wins, quarterly earnings, or public appearances. That really hits home with me as I strive to pour into Ellie’s young life.

Here are a few important quotes from this first chapter:

Instead of asking, how can I lead my company, my team, or my family to a higher level of success? we should be asking ourselves, how do others around me flourish as a result of my leadership? Do they flourish at all? How does my leadership, my involvement in their lives—in whatever setting we’re in—have a positive and lasting influence and impact on them?

Mentor leaders understand that if we lose sight of people, we lose sight of the very purpose of leadership.

Leadership based on building significance into the lives of others is much more energizing in the long term than other types of leadership. The very nature of mentor leadership is that it endures and can be replicated. As we build into the lives of the people around us, one at a time, one-on-one, we have the potential to extend our positive influence through them into countless other people as well.

We need strong men to build into the lives of our younger men and boys. Not extraordinary people; just ordinary, everyday men who care enough to invest themselves—their time, attention, and wisdom—in the lives of others, whether as a part of their natural leadership environment or as an additional relationship they purposefully undertake.

Building a life of significance, and creating a legacy of real value, means being willing to get your hands dirty. It means being willing to step out in your life and onto the platforms of influence you’ve been given and touch the lives of people in need. Whether it’s in your business, your school, your community, or your family, if you want to make a difference in the lives of the people you lead, you must be willing to walk alongside them, to lift and encourage them, to share moments of understanding with them, and to spend time with them, not just shout down at them from on high.

I have a couple leadership opportunities ahead of me. I will be leading our mission trip to the Philippines in April, and I’ve recently been serving in KidZone at our church, working with the 2nd graders so far. I have opportunities for focus on eternal values and significance in each of those situations, and that’s what I plan to do.

Tony offers plenty of guidance and real-world examples throughout the text, and also has some Action Steps at the end of each chapter. Who will join me in accepting the mandate of a Mentor Leader?

Action Steps

  1. Evaluate your integrity: Are your actions consistent with your words?
  2. Evaluate your impact: Are you making lives better?
  3. Evaluate your perspective: Do you see people as central to the mission of your organization? Or do you see them simply as the means—the fuel—to get your organization from here to there?
  4. Evaluate your goals: Are you building relationships, or are you building a tower to climb to the top?
  5. Mentor leaders see the opportunity to interact with people—and to build into their lives along the way—as part of the journey itself. How are you looking for ways to directly engage with and influence other people?
  6. How does your leadership style need to change so that people will flourish and grow around you?
  7. You can lead from a position of authority, but the most effective leaders lead as they build relationships of influence. What can you do to move from an authority-based model to an influence-based model?
  8. Identify one person whom you can begin to mentor. Don’t look too far or too hard. The opportunity is right in front of you—at work, in your family, or with a friend. Granted, it could be a special situation, outside of your everyday circles of influence, like my relationship with Michael Vick. But more than likely, the person is someone with whom you already have a relationship.
  9. Visit The Mentoring Project’s Web site (www.thementoringproject.org) and consider how you can get involved.
  10. From your perspective, what is the difference between “success” and “good success”?