I had the privilege of attending the first day of Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit yesterday, and there’s one point that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind. It came during the last session of the day with Craig Groeschel as he spoke about bridging the generational gap. This very topic is something that my mentor and I are planning to explore with great depth.
One of the common misconceptions in a mentoring relationship is that the goal is to learn what the mentor has done well and copy those things in an attempt to duplicate the results. The problem with this idea is that everyone is different. Something that has worked for one person for decades may not work for the person they are trying to mentor. When you try to become just like the person who is mentoring you, chance are that you are idolizing them rather than learning from them.
The point that Groeschel made yesterday is this [paraphrased]:
Don’t Just copy what you see the older generation doing. Learn how they think.
Great leaders have a certain perspective and way of thinking that is different from anyone else. If you learn the way they think, rather than just try to copy what you see them doing, you can apply that thinking style to your own processes. If you can adjust your perspective to see things the way your mentor sees them, you can begin to grow into a great leader like them.
I think so many of the younger generation, myself included, have avoided seeking out mentorship from the more seasoned generation because they seem out of touch at times. Sometimes we may not agree with their tactics or think they are losing touch with todays culture, but we can still learn from them. We should learn from them. It won’t happen by accident though.
One of Groeschel’s other points was that mentorship has to be intentional. Don’t just expect to learn from the older generation by just watching them. You have to be willing to humble yourself, give honor to them, and seek them out to take you under their wing. On the same note to the older generation: don’t just wait for someone to ask you to mentor them. If you see potential in someone, seek them out and push them along.