The Value of Experience and Mentorship
It’s no secret. As business owners or executives, we all have problems but perhaps there’s a better way to think about our problems. Have you ever played a video game with one of your kids or grandkids? Have you ever noticed that they seem to whip your tail just about every single time? And here’s the reason, they have played the game twenty to 100,000 times and they know all the obstacles. They know all the problems that are around every single corner.
You know business is a lot like that. Leading a team is a lot like that. We know we’re going to have problems but we’re not exactly sure where the problems are going to be. Your kids or grandkids have become experts in anticipating all sorts of challenges in video games. The difference between you and them is not their capacity or their intellectual capacity, it’s that they played the game before. They’ve done this over and over again. They anticipate the challenges that lie ahead.
So maybe this finds you in the middle of a big problem, and/or you’ve been a little late on anticipating problems. Here’s the good news. The skill of anticipation is one that can be developed right now. It’s through ongoing experience and mentorship.
Those everyday circumstances are a means for us to gain understanding and learn from our mistakes. Asking ourselves, What worked? What didn’t work? Am I growing as a leader? Or am I making the same repeated mistakes?
And sometimes we can find ourselves stuck, unaware of looming challenges and even our own personal bad habits. This is why it is so important to have a mentor in our life. Someone who will share wisdom, and godly advice and give it to you straight. Scripture teaches us that…by wise guidance you can wage your war. Proverbs 24:6. Who do you have speaking into your life? Who is it that will tell it to you straight?
Experience and mentorship are two valuable tools that will help you grow in the skill of anticipating problems.