Mentoring: the Wind Beneath Our Wings
 By
Henry D. Landes
May 2004
When flocks of Canada geese fly, they use the famous V-shape.
Many naturalists believe this is a learned behavior because air
currents created by the birds in front make flying easier for the
rest of the flock.
In this President’s Corner my theme is mentoring. I call
it the wind beneath our wings. Mentors can give people in business
(especially young people) a tremendous “lift.” Like
the leading bird in the V formation, a trusted mentor shows the
way.
Recently one of my clients – the Hollinger family of Four
Seasons Produce, Denver, Pa. – adopted a Family Learning Policy,
which includes a statement on mentoring.
“We understand that we will all informally be mentors to
our children, but we also value the outside influence of mature
people with a different perspective. Each child will be encouraged
to recognize mentors from outside the family, especially through
their teenage years. We encourage each adult family member to maintain
an outside mentor throughout the different stages of life.”
As the Hollingers say, parents are the first mentors of their children.
But our children also need other mentors, especially children in
business families who often face unusual pressure, possibilities
and privilege.
I like to think of mentoring relationships as both informal and
formal. An informal mentor might be Uncle Joe or respected adults
in your church or community who offer mentoring with a strong personal
development flavor. Formal, work-related mentoring focuses more
on professional growth, job performance and leadership
development.
I strongly encourage young adults who have grown up in a family
business to test their wings in another field and/or another business
for several years before working full time in the family business.
Mentoring can happen in those settings, not only in terms of business
but in terms of how to be your own person.
So what kinds of mentors do young adults (older folks too) need?
I would say a good mentor is someone who:
- Is a faithful guide and “cheerleader” with a profound
sense of your total possibilities, someone who feels there is
no ceiling on your potential.
- Cares enough about you to be committed to your success –
in or out of the family business.
- Can and will challenge you when you stumble, stick your foot
in your mouth, or do something that goes against the grain of
who you are (and are becoming).
- Offers you a safe haven for being honest about yourself, your
family and the family business.
- Understands the complexities of working in a family business,
walking alongside you in making difficult and life-changing decisions.
Sometimes the trickiest dynamics are adult children working with
their father or mother. The parents may have the most knowledge
about the company, but almost inevitably there are multiple layers
of emotional involvements (on both sides of the generational fence)
that can complicate the relationship, especially as the time approaches
for the baton to be passed.
Business-related mentoring is best balanced by a combination of
internal and external mentors. For instance, in the 1990s third-generation
successor-in-development Tripp Davis was being groomed for the presidency
and ownership of L.D. Davis Industries. Over a period of 10 years
he actively sought internal mentoring from Davis company managers
and, in the two years prior to his assuming the presidency in 2000,
he asked me to serve as his external mentor. Tripp Davis tells his
story in “Mentored by My Managers,” Family Business
magazine, Spring 2000.
Mentoring can range from task-oriented assistance by managers to
help you be more effective in your work to an almost sacred relationship
that encompasses all of who you are.
As any ol’ goose knows, the sky’s the limit when good
mentors are providing air under our wings.
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