If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you might suspect that I am a huge Star Wars fan. In fact my ring tone for him is the quote, “Do, or do not- there is no try.” (I'm not the only one.)

This past week as my coach and I were discussing mentors and proteges, I teased him; “What if Yoda had trained Leia, not just Luke?” He reminded me that Yoda may have trained Luke, but he mentored Obi Wan, and Obi Wan mentored Luke. It’s wasn’t just a few short weeks of training with Yoda that make Luke a Jedi. And who is to say that Yoda and Obi Wan didn’t influence Leia through Luke?

And then he mentioned Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. As I brushed up on my Greek philosophers, I remembered that what we know about Socrates and his teachings is based on the writings of those that he mentored. His knowledge and wisdom was passed along from one to another. This inspired me to find other examples of great mentor/ mentee relationships. What can be learned from them and how can we apply it to today?

3 Famous Mentoring Examples

1- Socrates and Plato.

Someone recently asked me what it was that was holding me back from being a mentor to others who were asking me. At the time, I thought it was fear. I’ve learned that is one thing to be able to name and face your fears, but to really get rid of them is to know where they come from.

For me, it was the belief that I don’t hold any special knowledge or secret, so what do I have to help others with? I thought that was limiting me. Then I realized that Socrates didn’t believe he was wise either.  “So-called wise men thought themselves wise and yet were not, he himself [Socrates] knew he was not wise at all, which, paradoxically, made him the wiser one since he was the only person aware of his own ignorance.”

To be a good mentor, you have to be aware of the fact that you aren’t anything special and that everything you know was passed along to you. You are just passing it along to someone else. Knowing this helped to me eliminate my own fear because that meant that being a successful mentor has nothing to do with how smart you are. It has everything to do with your willingness to pass along what you have learned. Socrates did this with Plato, who in turn did this with Aristotle, who in turn did this with Alexander the Great. Perhaps this is the core reasons why all of these people had the impact they did- because of their willingness to pass the knowledge on to others.

2- Dadabhai and Gandhi.

From Martin Luther King, Jr to Nelson Mandela, it is well known that Gandhi was an inspiration to many great leaders who changed the world. It is not as widely known that he was mentored by Dadabhai Naoroji, an Indian leader who helped to start the Indian Independence Movement in 1857.

When Gandhi wrote to Dadabhai, he said, “...you will, therefore oblige me greatly if you will kindly direct and guide me and make necessary suggestions which shall be received as from a father to his child.”  Another nickname that I jokingly call my coach is ‘Dad’, just like some clients call me ‘Mom’. (Make no mistake, I am more of a tiger mom than a June Cleaver type, just ask my kids.) I recently told a client that being “a better salesperson has allowed me to be a better mother and wife. Less yelling. More selling.” The relationship between a mentor and a mentee is very much like the one between a parent and a child - both in how lessons are given and received.

3- Emerson and Thoreau.

When Henry David Thoreau befriended and was mentored by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he was introduced to not only a new way of thinking, but also leading figures like Bronson Alcott and Margaret Fuller. Emerson also used his reputation to promote Thoreau's literary efforts and his resources by giving Thoreau access to the lands that would inspire his greatest works later on. Emerson challenged Thoreau’s thinking and then he gave him a platform and access to others to share his thinking with.  

What do you think makes a great mentor/mentee relationship? What are some of the reasons to seek a mentor? How do you know when someone is the right mentor for you? Are you seeking some serious growth? Are you ready for a mentor/mentee relationship?