Ask clients about their mentors

When I worked in the business world I had a supervisor who would share her wisdom with me. One of my favorites from her was, "My strengths aren't others' weaknesses." She also reminded me to thank my mentors and would say that she would be happy if I succeeded, even excelling beyond her, because management would recognize that she was the one who trained and supervised me so it would be a plus for her. She also kept me aware of corporate politics and pitfalls to avoid.

Mentors help name blindspots and also affirm gifts in a person when that person doesn't see them in themselves.

Mentors have been integral to my continued growth in leadership and ministry. Earlier in ministry (and life!) I was the beneficiary of several wise mentors that I repeatedly quizzed about best practices in ministry and keys in understanding interpersonal relationships as well as parish dynamics. In more recent years mentors have assisted me in gaining clearer perspective as well as stretching my imagination. Encouraging our clients to identify and engage their mentors in their growth journey can be a serve to accelerate and deepen the coaching process. The list of "burning questions" mentioned may prove helpful to clients as well.

I had a mentor earlier on when I began in ministry. We were intentionally paired up with someone to walk with you and that was wonderful for me as she was a female pastor of color who helped me understand the terrain and asked what were my hurdles and dreams and gave good advice and offered hard truths. And at one point I outgrew the relationship and we both recognized it and I found a colleague who had been in partnership with our church for a number of years and had been an associate pastor in a large suburban congregation for many years and had served in an urban context for 8 years before his current call. He was about 25 years my senior and a white man with a lot of power and he was very good at helping me stretch and become wise about how to navigate in our synod and various circles and ways to understand code language that was meant to shut me out or down and that was wonderful. We have remained friends. I am currently a part of a diverse 5 member women's mentoring group out of the twin cities. 3 of us are pastors and 1 in faith-based publishing and curriculum, the other an awesome professional lay leader finishing her Ph.D and we each have very different gifts and some talents that intersect. We also serve as accountability partners for each other in specific areas that provides clarity and clear boundaries. It has been wonderful to have as we have a regular schedule of meeting, but also have a way to send out the emergency Bat Signal or in promptu quick meets for something that may require a specific soundboard/advice and it is amazing as it stretches and pulls me as well as affirms me and my worthiness.

While I've never had anyone in my life who 'wore the title of mentor', there have been people who've guided me through life transitions, offered sage advice in work places and now in the ministry setting. These are people who saw the value in investing their time and knowledge with newer leaders in order to strengthen the organization as a whole. These were people who had enough self-awareness to recognize another way they had knowledge and skills that were best shared with other.

But this article and our class discussion have helped me to understand how beneficial a mentor could be for me in this time, and I will begin to actively begin looking for someone; and even be open to being a mentor for others.

This blog offered sage advice for coaches, as we seek to find multiple way to help our clients pursue that preferred future. It reminding us of the value of suggesting to the client other people-helping services that could move them forward and give them clarity and accountability on future steps.

Currently I don’t have a mentor, but I’ve greatly benefited from having coaching relationships that have helped me look beyond what’s right in front of me and pursue transformational actions. However, when I look back at a mentor of mine while in the military, he was very engaged with challenging my current state and pushing me toward pursuing and achieving my maximum potential… and so it’s helped me realize that he was coaching me as well, whether he realized it or not. Today, however, I see the value of having a trusted person to lean on, someone who is willing to challenge my blind spots, and encourage me to develop new skills to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

I would want my clients to have the same experience, which they can receive in some respect from me as their coach, but they should also pursue a mentor relationship that will elevate specific thinking within their industry. This would be a powerful tool to help them grow into new positions and opportunities.

There is power in naming who a mentor is and what they do. As I read through this I realized all the people in my life who have been mentor's to me. I think especially of Marriage mentors. At the same time I realize the areas I don't have mentors in (a.k.a. Ministry). I have people I turn to, but I guess I have never asked them to be a mentor. The question I have is, is there an official conversation that needs to happen with someone if you desire them to be a mentor?

I have had many mentors in my life: professional mentors, family mentors, marriage mentors. I guess I really hadn't thought of these people as mentors. I simply call them my "wise ones". My nature is to seek people who have done it before, been through it, or are better at it. Mentoring has helped me see how a healthy marriage functions and has been with me to work through it when I haven't been my best self. My professional mentors have been invaluable in discernment processes for ministry and help me to actually follow through. I love ideas so it is easy for me to keep "thinking" and find joy in ideas alone but I can use this as an avoidance technique. My mentors know me well and help guide me into and through the "hard things" by calling me out WHILE lifting me up. Can people whom I have never met be a mentor? I think of Fr. Richard Rohr as a mentor but I've never met him person.



This blog has made me aware that I have not connected with my mentor in quite some time and I need to connect. I also realize that I need a different type of mentor at this time in my ministry than I have had before.



Oh, and to comment on the blog itself, I appreciate the specificities Jim provided in the "accountability" questions. The specificity drills down and gives a sense of importance to the need. Specifics can help the client imagine someone as mentor that perhaps they had not considered before.

One of my favorite mentors was a pastor I got to know as I took him home from his church. We both live in the same area, and he asked me one day if it would be okay to give him a ride home, and then after that I was his driver, until he left his interim ministry. He had a ton of experience having been in ministry 40 years. One of the things I really enjoyed as I drove him home was to talk about areas of ministry that I was green at like fund raising and managing people. He had a wealth of knowledge and a lot of stories which I really appreciated. Whenever I had any burning ministry question he was always there and he was a great asset.



I hope other people can see the value of this, of having somebody else who they can ask honest and open questions about. I wonder if for many of us we don't do this because we feel that we are going to be shamed for what we ask.

There have been people in my life that have served in mentoring ways. I remember connecting with internship supervisor weekly, just sitting down to connect and ask simple questions. The openness to questions from my supervisor gave a freedom to try out different things and helped to not be afraid of failure. I can see mentoring being helpful to coachees, but I would be cautious not to add too many additional meetings.



A friend/mentor was helpful to me as I trained for my first ironman triathlon. He spoke from experience and helped stoke confidence as he understood some of the rigors of training and race day. A good mentor will help evoke trust in yourself, your abilities and training.

I have been blessed to have a number of mentors in my life. As I progressed in my education and career, I would meet mentors at each stage who had a profound impact on helping me learn and grow into a higher level of proficiency in my work. One in particular gave me a wealth of information in a variety of media and was also a morale booster when I would second guess myself. I think the most meaningful gift she gave me was telling me I couldn't go wrong if I would "be fully present." We would talk about what that would look like and we would practice in role reversal.

Coaches help the client envision their preferred future. Mentors would provide the practical knowledge and experience of working that dream/ preferred future with action steps specific to their preferred future having experienced it first hand. So it could be very helpful and encouraging to the coachee to be working with a mentor that helps bring the vision into reality.

I have a spiritual mentor in my life right now. She is someone who has helped me grow in my faith, a prayer partner and someone with whom I can be very raw with and she does not judge me. Since I do not have any clients right now, mentoring will be an area that I will introduce my clients to if they currently do not have a mentor.

I've never had a formal mentor. I've learned a great deal from informal mentoring: more or less observing leaders as I worked alongside of them. I learned a great deal about leadership, and also about what not to do in leadership.



I could see mentors benefiting people I coach through sharing their stories. While times change, nevertheless a story is an introduction into one person's perspective on their life - including the habits, relationships, and decisions that led them to where they are.

The only mentors I have used have been related to my travel business. They have been very helpful as I've navigated unfamiliar water. They were able to answer questions that a Google search wouldn't be helpful with and also to give suggestions on where to start or what resources/vendors are most helpful. I don't currently coach clients, so I can't say what kind of mentors would be helpful. If I was coaching a church council, maybe an experienced church council president or a synod staff member that had skills in working with councils.

I think that for healthy growth we need a variety of different relationships in our life, including coaches, mentors, spiritual advisors and therapists. I think that this is a great suggestion to help coachees identify mentors so that they also do not begin to try and see the coach as their mentor. Just as we ask in each session "who can help hold you accountable?" I think it is a great addition to add "who can you ask for guidance from?" Again that helps to separate our role as coaches from those who give guidance and support.

I haven't had a lot of mentors in my life unfortunately. I did have a highly experienced interim pastor as my lead pastor at my last interim position whose wisdom and experience I tried to tap as much as possible. I think mentors could be useful to clients by helping keep them on track with their goals and identifying things that they don't see in themselves.

I have multiple clergy mentors that each offer something unique but meaningful to my own development and ministry: one is a retired pastor, one is just a few years ahead of me in ministry, one is a peer whose wisdom and insight offer me a different perspective. They are each people I trust, people who can share from their own experiences without having the expectation that I will mirror their experience or follow their exact path in ministry, and they all reflect back to me my own unique gifts and wisdom. I benefit from their council because it gets me out of my own head, broadens my thinking, and almost always helps me understand that there are multiple ways forward through a problem. They make me less of a perfectionist and more bold in discerning what is the next right thing for me in that moment.

My greatest mentor was Pastor Glenn Harless. From 9th grade in Individualized Confirmation, he poured into me seeing that I had a love for God, the scriptures and that my faith was central. From there he challenged me by asking me to pray in front of my peers in youth group. Eventually he had me preach in front of our excessively large congregation (1000's), when my greatest fear in life was public speaking. Finally, as I contemplated seminary he accompanied me to a Dynamic Communicator's Workshop with Christian comedian, Ken Davis. He was the one who cheered me on and led me towards the call to pastoral ministry.

Finally, I appreciate the line "Mentors can help a client identify what they should keep doing, stop doing, or start doing." The terminology I learned at Fuller Seminary is "Strategic Subtractions". When you add something to your plate/ministry/life, then you subtract something so you can manage life with enough margin.

Who has served as a mentor for you? In what ways did you benefit from the experience?



There have been many colleagues who ended up being mentors only I couldn't see it at the time. They were an unassuming presence that guided me by sharing pieces of wisdom in the form of little nuggets that were non-judgmental and easy to digest. I learn best by doing and didn't even realize that by mimicking their actions I was learning some of the greatest tools for ministry!



Do you have any mentors if your life right now? Yes, these same colleagues that are now friends.



Where could you see mentors benefiting the clients you currently coach? Mentors are encouragers who are not threatened by sharing their wisdom with others. Mentors are the people clients call when they need help often in times of crises.

I've had two very significant mentors in my life. One was my speech teacher in High School. The orthodontist said I needed speech to correct a technique that was creating issues with my teeth, so I was sent to a speech teacher in the school district. She was *wonderful*! First, I became her client ... then her babysitter ... and more than forty years later, we are dear friends. Along the way, she also became a powerful mentor in my life, and I am deeply grateful. She has taught me a great deal about relationships, parenting, generosity and being supportive.



Shortly after I met my speech teacher, I suffered from MRSA, which -- to make a VERY long story much shorter -- resulted in me seeing a chiropractor. I spent a tremendous amount of time in that office over the next few years. My doctor was (and still is) a patient and caring listener. He, too, became a powerful mentor, encouraging me to hone various skills, helping me to see places where I needed to rethink an opinion or mindset, offering suggestions and wisdom, and cheering me on every step of the way. More than forty years later, he is still one of the first people I want to talk with when I'm needing insight.



These two people probably know me better than I know myself. They have certainly BELIEVED in me more than I've ever believed in myself, and they have always been a sure sounding board and faithful friends. I am grateful for both of them in a million different ways because without either of them, I am 100% certain I would not be the person I am at this moment in time.



Both of the people I named above are still in my life and still people whose opinions and wisdom I value tremendously. There are others I can call on in different situations, but these are the longest-standing mentor relationships in my life. I am grateful to have a few colleagues and a spiritual director who serve as mentors in ministry, and a retreat partner who serves as a mentor in hospitality and grace as well.



I could see a mentor in ministry helping a client I see monthly who is a local pastor. I think he could also benefit from a mentor in leadership (whether that person is a pastor or from some other vocation). I also work with Reiki practitioners who could benefit from mentors who are starting their own small businesses and could help with marketing as well as building a practice. I've been coaching a group of pastors/Christian Education folks for the denomination, and they could all benefit from mentors in creative thinking as they explore new ways of being in this new paradigm "post"-COVID.

One of my early mentors was the educator at my church growing up, who was then the resource center director when I became an educator. She was a straight-talking, no-nonsense type of person. As someone who doesn't rock the boat much, her honesty was so helpful as I was figuring out how to do my job. she was not flowery, and so I knew when I received her praise it was genuine.

I have a lot of colleagues, but since Mary's death 8 years ago, I am not sure I have had someone in a mentor role, and even considering this question really makes me think about how to rectify that.



One thing that this article made me think about was the reality of someone not being ready to be coached. I recently had a consultation with a potential client, and in the process of really thinking about outcomes, they were unable to find a clear focus. As we moved to the idea of accountability they were very resistant, finding many reasons why they felt unable to name someone. We then had a good conversation about how the coaching model may not fit where they are in life right now. They also see a therapist, and really wanted someone to talk issues through with. Further, they shared that situations that required high accountability brought on stress,. It was a reminder that it is important to talk openly about expectations and readiness with potential clients.

There have been times in my life where I've had wonderful, powerful mentors. In this particular season though, I feel like that is lacking right now. My former mentors are all far away geographically or so busy that conversation and connection rarely happen; I'm too new to my new city to have found mentors here yet. I'm wondering how to make those connections with people who both have the right skill sets to mentor me at this juncture and aren't so busy that there is no time for ongoing connection and mentorship. How do we cultivate these relationships mid-career in industries or careers that are inherently isolating? How do we help our clients do the same?

I began this coaching certificate to build on the skills I already had so that I could help others. What I am discovering, however, is how much personal growth is required to truly step into being an impactful coach. The question about mentors has really brought that home for me. Seeking a mentor requires an openness and vulnerability that not many of us are comfortable with. It acknowledges that we don’t have all the answers - that we could benefit from help. I am very comfortable with BEING the mentor, but flipping roles is a whole different undertaking. As someone who has always done things on her own, I realize now how much I have missed out by not seeking mentors in my personal and professional life. Mentors can not only point out your strengths which feels so good, but they can also shine light on areas for growth which might be more painful. To continue growing and living into my potential, I will need to invite others to join me on the journey. It’s time to seek out a mentor or two…

I've had many mentors over the years, and learned they don't have to always be experts on everything. I can seek out someone who is a specialist in something, like ministry or finances, but not have to have them know all things in other areas. I've benefitted from so many who are a step or more ahead of me - too many to list - but that was the key... letting them be experts in what they are experts in.



I have mentors who are more like peers whose iron sharpens me. I also chose to do this coaching program to be under the mentors of it.



I think if I was coaching someone in a particular area I'm weak in, I could seek out a mentor to learn how to serve that person better.

In my current like, I like to talk to people who've worked in marketing longer than me and hear about their stresses and their high points as marketers. In the rare occasion I get the chance to meet someone doing what I do, it's a good time of hearing their story which helps me normalize mine.



Most of the people I'll be coaching actually just need a mentor to share how they built out story-based communication strategies in their church. And they need to know it's ok if it takes a long time.

My previous boss was and still is a mentor to me. That relationship has been the most important element in my success in my work. We are similar in ways that let us connect easily, but she has taught me how to be more analytical and go deeper. She also believed in me before I believed in myself and held that space for me until I could claim it myself.

I once met the Chief of People, Places and things of Brown Forman and the advice she gave me was to find a mentor who can cal on my crap. Currently my supervisor has become my mentor in ways that are helping me grow.

One of my first mentors was the ministry leader of our youth and young adult program. She poured into us as both followers of Jesus and as growing leaders. Another mentor was an editor of a large ministry publishing company who developed and trained teams of writer-speakers to invest in youth leaders through articles, book contributions, and workshops at conferences. He taught us to point people to Jesus and make learning practical and memorable.



A recently retired minister has been a ministry mentor to me and several of my colleagues for years. We respect him deeply and have asked for his wisdom on numerous occasions. I have two peer friends whose voices are invaluable; one doubles as an accountability partner.



Whenever a person needs ongoing encouragement beyond coaching, I'm ready and willing to refer them to someone who could serve as a mentor - someone who can be accessible once a week for a season as a prayer and listening support and a mature and trusted voice in their life.

Mentors are great for providing insights to clients that are being coached. There's a different relationship between a mentor and mentee than a client and coach which can be very useful. Mentors often have known our clients for a longer time period than we have and using them as supports can be helpful because they know the words that will motivate the client toward change. They are great at affirming what the coach might not know about the person unless it has been shared within a conversation.