Have you ever mentored someone in life? How about the reverse where you sought out a mentor? Chances are you have.

Most of us are greater than the sum of our parts and it’s because we have had people in our lives invest in us in one way or another.

We got the chance we didn’t deserve, the role we didn’t qualify for or the lucky break. How did we get to where we are?

Hard work of course, but also a network.

I read an article yesterday that spoke about how college GPA was not as important as the network you build while in school. That network has a greater influence than the A you could make in math class.

I guess I should count myself lucky as I was never going to be a Rhodes Scholar, but I did know how to build a network of folks from different walks of life that I still reach out to years later.

What does this have to do with mentoring? For one thing mentoring is about understanding where someone is and where they want to go.

From there you can offer input on how to achieve that end state. A lot of times in life we have an impact on our network in big and small ways and it’s important to keep that in mind.

Since graduating college 5 years ago I have participated in a mentoring program where I, as an alumni, mentor current business students.

It has been great. I learn what drives an individual and I have a chance to make an impact.

However, I have found that I am the one to benefit from the relationship.

It keeps me grounded, reminds me of where I came from and focuses my gaze on my future.

Mentoring is key to moving forward in life, while also taking someone with you.

Next time you’re in a position to give someone a shot why not say yes?

You might be surprised.

Image credit: Ron Mader

I recently switched jobs to a company that is smaller than my last but where I have the ability to truly achieve success or crash and burn. It’s slightly terrifying but I try to follow Richard Branson’s example of just saying yes to things first and then figuring it out as I go along.

One thing I realized after taking the role is I am the one that must set the cultural standard. It’s not that the company doesn’t have one, but most of the employees are remote and we rarely see each other.

As a result there is not really a zeitgeist in the office that tends to guide everyone’s actions. It took me a couple of weeks to reach this conclusion, but once I did I sought out some resources on how to set a standard.

I was not blessed with an iron will. For me I must work every day at maintaining discipline and work ethic. It’s not a battle, but it’s something I am very much aware of and I take steps to ensure I set myself up for success.

One way I do this is through emulation of others. I realize this may not be groundbreaking but I think it’s important to remember.

When I was growing up I would see people at the top of their game or profession and a lot of times not think about the work it took to get there. As I have matured I realize it takes great effort to achieve success and we must make it a priority. There are several people I follow on LinkedIn that hold influence. I try to emulate what they have done to form my own identity and culture.

I have also sought out mentors throughout my career. Some of these are formal, but some are not. I reach out to them for specific needs or learning opportunities.

What do you use for guidance when setting a culture? Is it a company, ideal or person?

I believe all can benefit when creating an identity, as long as we are choosing the right example to emulate.

Image credit: Ron Mader

A Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here

The uncivil war between Bay Area techies and the rest of the citizenry is common knowledge.

London is facing similar problems, as exemplified by what’s happening in Shoreditch, a rundown neighborhood in East London (think the Mission before tech discovered it) now a home to co-working spaces from the likes of Google.

While it is gentrifying rapidly, with housing prices rising 17% last year, and hipsters and 20somethings moving in all boats aren’t being lifted by the tide.

Over the same period, however, the level of child poverty in the area remained one of the highest anywhere in London, according to the Child Poverty Action Group, a local charity, while unemployment now stands  around 11 percent, well above the national average.

But a different approach is being taken by some of the tech crowd, in order to craft sustainable, long-term solutions, rather than throwing a few million dollars (which is a rounding error to companies such as Google and Facebook) here and there.

To build bridges between the two communities, a group of local tech founders has started to run monthly programs to connect successful entrepreneurs with those who either have nontech businesses or who want to start their own company.

Over three hours, Niklas Zennstrom, a co-founder of Skype and Richard Reed, a co-founder of the British smoothie maker Innocent Drinks, shared business advice and marketing tips with the small business owners, including the founder of a local fitness company and a maker of custom bike clothes.

Think about it.

How much time/effort would it really take to stop by the small businesses near you, invite them to discuss and brainstorm ways and means to grow their businesses over coffee and even set up a similar mentoring program?

Besides helping them you may be surprised at how much you learn through the interactions.

Image credit: HikingArtist

Image credit: duchesssa CC license

Great interview and insights in an article from HBS Working Knowledge regarding gender differences in Wall Street stars. Even if you’re not a recognized star or that’s not your field I guarantee that the information will be useful.

Why? Because the things that make the difference between women’s success and male failure apply to all.

According to HBS professor Boris Groysberg, “Women tend to do better after a move for two reasons.

One is that they are more invested in external than in in-house relationships. There are four main reasons why star women maintain external focus: uneasy in-house relationships, poor mentorship, neglect by colleagues, and a vulnerable position in the labor market. External focus makes them more “portable” in terms of making a positive move, but can cause problems if they want to progress within their own organization, because you need a solid internal network and good political capital to get things done in organizations. Anyone who focuses mostly on external relationships will not have that.”

Think about it. Forgetting the star function, external focus is death on retention, guaranteeing low loyalty and high turnover.

And as to managers creating women-friendly environments, Groysberg says, “The consequence of that is when these managers leave, the female-friendly environments disappear.”

One way to make everyone a star is to encourage your people to build their external relationships while providing a culture that facilitates the in-house relationships that make people want to stay.

What do you do to give your people both?