Mentoring

Few books dissect the subject of mentoring better than Connecting, by Robert Clinton.
This volume needs to be on every leader’s “Must Read List”, and doubles as one of those “Review Regularly Classics.” Among his numerous insights, we can only briefly describe two. Hopefully, these serve as previews to motivate adding this valuable resource to your own leadership library.

First, the author defines a full range of mentors who have made a difference in your life. Some may not be immediately obvious. Clinton’s illustration covers a wide continuum from passive mentors like historical heroes to more intensive and deliberate influencers like coaches or disciplers in our lives. He reminds us of the multiple possibilities we all
have for growth and leadership development. But only two out of 10 leaders have safe, meaningful friendships with mutual responsibility for each other.

Second, “The Mentoring Constellation,” seen illustrated here, may prove well worth the
price of the book. Every leader lives in a world surrounded by various influences – some peers within your organization, some outside it. Most of us look up to leaders ahead of our own development. We also need to watch for those new leaders God is raising up around us. Interestingly, each quadrant of influencing leaders receives a mutually
beneficial experience in all this interaction, as they are open to it. And the wide range of mentoring relationships proves to be equally as beneficial.

This issue of GROW has focused on the value of connecting with other leaders and fruitful ministries. We have much to learn from each other. Meaningful mentoring relationships prove to be a win/win for everyone involved.

Robert Clinton’s book challenges us to take responsibility for cultivating our personal
mentoring network. Search out those leaders ahead of your own development that you respect and ask them for feedback. Few worthwhile leaders will come to you, most are just too busy. You have to take the initiative. Also, look around for upcoming leaders who might appreciate your time and input. Many of them are too intimidated to approach you with a request for coaching.

Missional leaders value the reproduction of new leaders. Whatever their age, missional leaders maintain a teachable spirit, open to the new movings of God’s Spirit all around them, from other experienced leaders, peers in ministry and the most promising protégés.

One of my mentors used to talk about “The Hot Poker Effect.” It went something like this: build a roaring fire and stick an iron poker into the coals. Within a short time, the iron utensil could be pulled from the fire and used to start another fire nearby. The mentors God has criss-crossed into your life serve the same purpose – extending the missional passion through you to another place and time. One adequate expression of gratitude for their guiding influence could involve creating that same inner fire in the life of another leader.

Just like faith is impacted by faith, so leadership development can be traced to other mentoring leaders. No believer comes to faith in Jesus Christ without the influence, prayers and witness of another believer. And every high-impact leader can trace their development to a list of other leaders who touched their lives in significant ways. Like
faith itself, the baton of leadership is relayed from one generation to the next.


—JIM DORSEY,
Editor, GROW