3 Big Myths of Mentoring for Mentors and Mentees. Why we all need one or more

One of the best podcasts I’ve listened to in a while. Adam Grant interviews Sophia Chang, Michael Ostin, Belle Ragins, Patrice Gordon on the myths of Mentoring. What you should consider when looking for business growth advsiory services.

In the podcast they cover:

  1. What makes a good & bad mentor

  2. Why everyone should consider having one or more mentors.

  3. how to pick a good mentor.

  4. How mentors also learn from their mentees.

  5. Reverse mentoring, what it is & why CEOs should consider it.

  6. Why Virgin CEO, Craig Kreiger invited a junior to start a reverse mentoring relationship.

  7. Why the most accomplished or famous person in that field may not be right

Sophie Chang explains “I’ve met many people who were incredibly, incredibly accomplished. And I wouldn't necessarily ask them to be my mentors. It's, it's really about character, a certain kind of character.” She shares why she chose Michael Ostin & that she didn’t gravitate toward Michael based on his accomplishments or connections. Sophia was drawn to the enthusiasm he exuded for sharing his knowledge.

Mentoring plays an important role in growth and success for both mentors and mentees. But finding the right mentor — and being an effective one — is easier said than done. Adam digs into the science of what makes a good mentor, learns what it takes to build a strong bond from an extraordinary mentor-mentee pair, and busts lasting myths that prevent us from unlocking our potential. To To skim the transcript - visit the TED.com podcast section.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: 

Why this podcast resonated with me to much.

I currently have 3 mentors for different reasons, all of whom I trust implicitly. They’re not necessarily the best in their field, but they either came recommended or I just “clicked” with them when I spoke to them. Each brings something different and help me grow on an ongoing basis. Which makes me a better mentor myself.

The mentees I take on, whether it’s a CEO or Head of Marketing, I need to feel the “click” and feel I can add value. Having been in their position, I appreciate aspects someome from a big corporate might not.

This is definitely a podcast worth an hour of your time.

For the last 10 years, I’ve been an expert in advising companies in Hyper Growth phase on how to achieve their Pareto’s Principle AKA 80-20 Rule. Helping them find the 20% to focus on that will achieve 80% of their 100% Year-on-Year growth results. I help firm align their activities across marketing, sales, CRM & product to achieve their targets in the most effective way.

provides ongoing advisory/consultancy & Mentoring services to CEOs, Founders, head of marketing & Sales. She’s your go-to person in Helping firms achieve 100% year-on-year growth, 

I help them find which are the areas/strategies the businesses need to focus on to achieve their targets. Start-ups and scale-ups never have enough resource, budget or time, so it’s about challenging them to think about “What 20% of activity to focus on… that will achieve the 80% of Results” and… 

  • Achieve targets faster

  • Achieve more with less resource, effort and time

  • Achieve more with the same budget

Feel free to contact me for an exploratory consultation.

Further Reading

Sarah Joy