Power Up with Mentoring

"Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."

In Greek mythology, Odysseus entrusts his son Telemachus to his close friend Mentor when Odysseus leaves for the Trojan War.

In many professions, success depends on mentoring from experienced seniors who guide us to safety and away from mistakes. My closest professional mentor was CAPT T.E. Walsh of Bethesda Naval Hospital. Tom would instruct us to "handle it" but warn us if he thought we were going off track, "you're following a lit fuse."

Coach Sonny Lane has been a mentor for almost fifty years. His core basketball values included positivity, sacrifice, and teamwork. 

Steve Kerr built a core philosophy around mentors, mindset, and culture. Lute Olson and Gregg Popovich had big influences upon him. "He didn't just observe, he kept notebooks of information he valued and plays he liked. He built not only a resume' but a dossier of things he liked in a Powerpoint presentation."

In Great Teams, Don Yaegar shares great ideas about mentoring. 

The relationship between upperclassmen and young players varies. Some take a protectionist attitude about their position ("she's coming for my spot"), while others live the 'team first' truth. 

We can't know player expectations without giving and getting feedback. A young player took nine three point shots in her first varsity game and got immediate feedback about shot quality (she made one). "It's not your team."

Remember to ask, "are we building a program or a statue?" Metallica's great success over four decades partly occurred because band members ask, "what's best for the project?" when debating the music and lyrics. 

Mentors have numerous obligations to mentees. 

• Add value. 
• Give and get feedback.
• Provide truth about strengths and weaknesses.
• Be available. 
• Provide recommendations and networking. 

Many great sports movies center on mentoring of both groups and individuals. Examples of individual mentoring include The Karate Kid, Bull Durham, Rocky, Saint Ralph, and more. 

Mentors get more than we give. 

Lagniappe. Fluidity. 

Lagniappe 2. 

Hard to tell the "time sequence" for inbounding the ball. I'd be concerned about a five second call but half to see it real time.