Great Teams by Don Yaeger shares the 'secret sauce' of great teams, both within and outside of sports.
He devotes a chapter to mentoring.
Key Point 1: "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence."
Tim Duncan arrived on the San Antonio Spurs with David Robinson already installed as the 'lead dog'. That didn't stop Robinson from taking Duncan under his wing and training him in the Spurs Way. Along the way, Duncan and teammates won five NBA titles.
Key Point 2: Mentoring is critical in most professions, especially medicine.
Sometimes a mentor can inspire (lecturer Dr. Faith Fitzgerald) or help day-to-day (CAPT Bill Baker and CAPT Tom Walsh).
Key Point 3: Cultivate relationships that can become mentoring.
Friendships allow us to reach out to others and ask for help. And all of us need help sometimes. Humility allows us to seek assistance.
Yaeger drops suggestions for a mentoring culture.
- Make it intentional. Have a plan (match vets with youngsters).
- Train employees to look for mentoring opportunities.
- Ask team members to look for mentoring.
- Always be "team first."
- "Team first" applies to everyone.
- Avoid jealousy (junior employees may surpass mentors).
- Remember where you came from. Everyone starts as junior staffer.