Finding a Mentor for What You Need

My first mentor walked into my life when I was seventeen years old. Shawn asked me if I wanted to help him start a program for at-risk students on Friday nights. I admired this guy, and immediately agreed. It was a growth experience for me to say the least. Each week, we’d set up chairs in a large auditorium, grab snacks, and show a great movie, typically a film that included a life principle within the storyline. Afterward, Shawn would hop on stage and offer a summary of the big takeaway from the movie. He was a dynamic communicator, and everyone enjoyed him. My job was to set up the chairs, get him some water and hold his coat.

This outreach went well for several weeks, until one fateful Friday night.

Shawn met me backstage and said to me in a raspy voice, “Tim, I don’t think I’m going to be able to speak tonight.” His voice was merely a whisper; it was clear he had laryngitis. I panicked, reminding Shawn he was our speaker. He suggested that maybe I could speak to the students. I think I replied with, “Shawn, I don’t speak! I get you water!” Yet, in the end, there was no other alternative. He gave me his notes. I had less than an hour to review them, but I traded places with Shawn that night. I spoke; he grabbed some water for me.

In the end, I survived. Shawn approached me afterward, gave me a hug, and said, “Tim, that was fantastic. From now on, we will rotate. I will be on one week; you’ll be on the next.”

What He Did For Me

Shawn left his mark on me. I have been speaking on a regular basis from that point on, for over forty-six years. My real epiphany occurred only a few years ago when Shawn and I met for dinner and reminisced about that outreach. As we reflected on my first time up to speak, I noticed he looked down at the floor. He could not give me eye contact. “What’s wrong?” I wondered out loud. Shawn looked up at me, and with a sheepish grin, he replied, “Tim, I have a confession to make. I didn’t really have laryngitis that night. But I didn’t know any other way to get you up on stage; I knew you’d rely on me.” He paused. “Please forgive me.”

May I tell you what I appreciate most about that mentor and my first-time public speaking?

Shawn’s key goal that night was not to get the best speaker in the room on stage. If that were his goal, he would have been the one speaking. Instead, his goal was to take a young man like me, someone he saw a little potential in, and “push” me to do something unfamiliar. He focused on being a good mentor more than a good messenger that evening.

And I am forever grateful.

Finding a Suitable Mentor

Each year now, I identify issues in which I want to grow and choose specific people who are ahead of me in those areas. They become categorical mentors for me for that year. As you enter a new year, I wonder if you’re looking for a specific kind of mentor. Perhaps a person who could be a communication mentor like Shawn was for me back in 1977.

If so, I have an idea.

In 2023, I plan to collect a group of leaders who want to grow in their speaking and writing skills. I plan to invest in this group of leaders each month for an entire year. Here’s my plan:

·         Begin with a dinner at my house to get acquainted.

·         Meet virtually each month for 60 minutes to learn secrets from great communicators.

·         Receive personal one-on-one time with me, during the year.

·         Implement exercises to practice the “secrets” we learn at each meeting.

·         Receive notes and feedback on your communication, both delivery and content.

·         Gain counsel on how to successfully outline and write a book.

·         Meet with a publisher for insights and Q and A about publishing and content.

·         Acquire a list of the best books on communication for guidance.

I call this group, The Communication Cohort.

Over the last fifteen years, I’ve spoken to more than 500,000 leaders in 50 countries. I’ve written 38 books, three of them bestsellers. It’s been my privilege to learn communication secrets along the way. And I’d love to pass them on to a handful of leaders.

This is a paid mentoring community that isn’t cheap. It’s not so much a cost as it is an investment. I believe it will pay off for your entire career. Over the year, we will grow close as a community and develop communication skills like never before.

Interested? Go to: TimElmore.com. For details and application, click on “Communication Cohort” at the top of the page.