The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Rodger Harding’

These are some of the people I interviewed this year to act as your mentors. In case you missed any of the interviews, when you get the opportunity, take a moment to read them. While you are reading the interviews, think of what you have in common with the interviewees, and ask yourself, what can I learn from them that I can use in my work and life? You can also find these interviews and more on the Mentors page of the blog

1. Mind your Qs please! She was the first female CEO of a steel company in Canada (Part I) (Part II)
2. She left a successful search consulting business to become a human excellence coach (Part I), (Part II)
3. The life coach who is also an artist (Part I), (Part II)
4. Someone who knows what leadership is about (Part I), (Part II)
5. The “hip accountant” (Part I), (Part II)
6. The entrepreneur’s friend (Part I), (Part II)
7. Head of PR for a technology firm, a writer, and very witty (Part I), (Part II)
8. The social justice film producer (Part I), (Part II)
9. A mentor directed her path to success (Part I), (Part II)
10. Someone who is a career and employment counsellor and a LinkedIn Heavyweight (Part I), (Part II)
11. A leadership and career coach, and a very straight shooter (Part I), (Part II)
12. An internet marketer and social media trainer (Part I), (Part II)
13. Someone who is a relationship builder (Part I), (Part II)
14. An IT executive who sang at her own wedding (Part I), (Part II)
15. Someone who is into food safety (Part I), (Part II)
16. She is an Assistant Deputy Minister (Part I), (Part II)
17. As a youngster he read biographies (children’s) of “great people” which taught him the importance of reading and learning from the experiences of others (Part I), (Part II)
18. The founder of Athena International (Part I), (Part II)
19. A successful business owner who attended 17 schools in three countries while growing up (Part I), (Part II)
20. Founder of Connected Women (Part I), (Part II)
21. Someone who was a former editor of Chatelaine Magazine (Part I), (Part II)
22. She started in the library and ended up in the executive suite (Part I), (Part II)
23. She launched the International Women’s Festival, and also operated a very successful business which she sold (Part I), (Part II)
24. Someone who died for four minutes (Part I), (Part II)
25. Someone who used to hide under the table from bill collectors, now she is a success story (Part I), (Part II)
26. When she first became a leader, she was referred to as Godzilla, but a mentor helped to smooth off the rough edges, now she is a remarkable leader (Part I), (Part II)
27. His best friend was embezzling so he gave him the opportunity to do the right thing (Part I), (Part II)
28. A busy senior level banking executive who escapes from it all through fiction (Part I), (Part II)
29. Someone who is a CFO of a restaurant chain (Part I), (Part II)
30. Someone who is a marketing and communications consultant (Part I), (Part II)
31. Someone knows what it means to fall down seven times get up eight (Part I), (Part II)
32. Someone who is an entertainer and comic artist (Part I), (Part II)
33. Someone who is a goldsmith and jewelry designer (Part I), (Part II)
34. An entrepreneur who blends health and technology (Part I), (Part II)
35. The medical doctor (Part I), (Part II)
36. The serial entrepreneur with mild superpowers (Part I), (Part II)
37. Serial entrepreneur and expert interviewer (Part I), (Part II) (Part III), (Part IV)
38. Founder of First Fridays (Part I), (Part II)
39. Someone who does cross-culture consulting (Part I), (Part II)
40. This senior executive made a tough decision that no parent should ever have to make (Part I), (Part II)
41. The reinvention guy (Part I), (Part II)

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

This is a guest post by Rodger Harding a business coach and artist. He also manages the mentorship program for the Canadian Women in Communication (CWC).

Mentoring is today a much used word in the workplace, and appears to be a concept that means different things to different people.

My own official introduction to mentorship was back in the late eighties when the New South Africa finally came into being. It was a heady time. Madiba was released after 27 years of imprisonment, the ANC, the Communist Party, the Pan African Congress etc were un-banned and exiles were returning to their country of birth en masse.

Preparing new diplomats, literally overnight, to represent this almost unbelievable transition period was daunting. Officials were rushed through qualifying courses and posted aboard to new diplomatic missions with little experience. More seasoned colleagues had the task of mentoring them on the job in the art of diplomacy and protocol.

The experience taught me a never to be forgotten lesson that today underpins my ongoing passion for mentoring:

Best mentorship results are achieved by recognizing, understanding and reflecting back who a Mentee really is… and then marrying the ability of the now confident individual to organizational goals.

This task requires a conscious detachment on the part of the Mentor as to Mentee outcomes. Mentorship, as opposed to coaching/training, is decidedly more about enabling rather than changing people!

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Interviewee Name: Rodger Harding

Company Name: Harding International and Associates Inc.

Website: http://www.hardingintl.com http://www.rodgerhardingart.com

Rodger Harding

Rodger Harding – Your Invisible Mentor

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Rodger Harding: I am a Toronto based Business Leadership consultant (Harding International & Associates Inc), painter & author; My life’s work is to evolve to my fullest potential, to lead as useful a life possible – It has often been said that I am an iconoclast, whose impact results from an unusual way of approaching people and situations.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Rodger Harding: I have never separated the two – Yet I am able to distinguish the two when interaction with others demands prioritization, but believe who I am personally impacts professionally…the opposite is also true!

Avil Beckford: What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Rodger Harding: I was not a carefree person in my youth;

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Rodger Harding:

• Actively acknowledge, with gratitude, all that is right in my life on all levels
• Attempt to resist comparing myself with others
• Get off centre-stage – My insignificance sets me free, while at the same time I am accountable to my talents, innate and learned
• I am accountable to my personal/professional impact with its mix of perfection/imperfection – I am in total awe of the magnificence of the individual mind and its potential
• Happily pay the price for choices made – Surrender to what I do not/cannot understand is vital moving forward

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Rodger Harding:

• Daydreaming – Lost in random thought, most of my Eureka moments have come unbidden…..!

• If I am at all organized or efficient, it is because I love getting tasks done so I can indulge in this pastime. I used to think it was doing nothing, until           I realized that I am actually sub-consciously mulling over the next article, painting, consulting session, seminar, keynote…This perhaps accounts for my ability to get going at the drop of a hat; I am often called to deliver last minute key-notes or to write opinions on diverse subjects without time to research or prepare…

For me, daydreams are actually creative spadework!

• I have recently started painting and have done surprisingly well. My canvases, all painted without a sale in mind, fetch decent prices;
• I love reading…especially novels
• Gardening & cooking are both creative passions
• Importantly …just chatting with friends about everything and nothing

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Rodger Harding: As above…I let go completely to take the pressure off myself; I tell myself no-one in particular is waiting for my great idea – and that the world will be just fine without it. This allows me to let new ideas in without concern for outcomes…

Avil Beckford: What’s your favorite quotation and why?

Rodger Harding: “Ring the bell that still can ring… Forget your perfect offering… It is the crack that lets in the light” – Leonard Cohen (Anthem); For me, perfection and certainty, while attractive concepts, are unattainable;  True wisdom/excellence is always the result of the path traveled – The ongoing coexistence of opposites!

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Rodger Harding: Being able to live with myself; If find myself ready to pass on at any particular moment, then at that moment I consider myself a success;

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Rodger Harding: Being who I am rather than who I am expected to be!

This involves:

• Fully utilizing innate & learned ability
• Achieving  a high degree of pleasure/happiness
• Accommodation (acceptance) in a like-minded environment
• Adequate means of survival
• The ongoing opportunity to evolve to my fullest potential….

Avil Beckford: What does it take to succeed in your field?

Rodger Harding: To bring the message above to as many people as possible.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out?

Rodger Harding: Know what you want and why you want it – Align your competencies and experience with the pursuit of you innermost desire – this will translate into a passionate and rewarding career path.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people who you have always wanted to meet (dead or alive) who would you want to meet and what would you say to them?

Rodger Harding:

1. Vincent van Gogh – “I congratulate you on following your hearts dictates despite lack of validation in your lifetime. You have inspired me to be who I am… and pay the price!”
2. Nelson Mandela – “Thank you for teaching me that forgiveness and love of mankind requires greater strength than the pursuit of victory or revenge”
3. Terry Fox – ‘You showed so many what could be accomplished by an ordinary guy who rose above his own hardship/circumstances to both embrace and relieve the suffering of others”
4. Margaret Thatcher – “I did not particularly agree with your politics, but you showed women what could be achieved by strength and determination… as a woman!”
5. Leonard Cohen – “I am in awe of your ability to turn depression and sadness into creative beauty that has touched so many!”

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life?

Rodger Harding: David Copperfield, (Charles Dickens) – I first heard this book serialized on the radio aged 9. I read the book aged 10 and still find it an inspiration. The exploration of family life, friendship, love, hardship, death, human greatness/imperfection, as well as personal evolution encompasses just about every human emotion …

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Give a brief summary of each book.

Rodger Harding:

• David Copperfield – Charles Dickens (Human emotion)
• Women in Love – D.H. Lawrence (Embracing paradox brings enlightenment)
• Any Ian McEwan novel (A single action can alter the course of events)
• Any John Irving novel (Imperfection in itself can be perfection)
• Road to Greco – Nikos Kazantzakis (The path of individual evolution)
• Quatrefoil – James Barr (The importance of persistence and integrity in relationships)

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Rodger Harding: I surrender to the unknown… I never know what tomorrow will bring!

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Rodger Harding: Creativity (painting/writing) is for me a total escape – - Yet I have something concrete to show when I return to reality!

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

Rodger Harding: To ask for happiness and fulfillment!

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Rodger Harding:

• I am fully engaged in activity that uses all of me/I am a useful member of society
• Using who I am brings pleasure to myself and others
• I have secured a like-minded circle of interaction
• I am able to support myself
• I am able to continue the process of evolution

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

All book links are affiliate links.

David Copperfield Charles Dickens

Interviewee Name: Rodger Harding

Company Name: Harding International and Associates Inc.

Website: http://www.hardingintl.com http://www.rodgerhardingart.com

Rodger Harding

Rodger Harding – Your Invisible Mentor

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Rodger Harding: I am a Toronto based Business Leadership consultant (Harding International & Associates Inc), painter & author; My life’s work is to evolve to my fullest potential, to lead as useful a life possible – It has often been said that I am an iconoclast, whose impact results from an unusual way of approaching people and situations.

Avil Beckford: What’s a typical day like for you?

I start the day at 6:00 am with several cups of coffee, until its recent demise, enjoyed along with the wonderfully structured chaos of Tom Allen’s Music & Company (CBC 2);

I consciously take stock of being alive, my good fortune and what needs to be done that day; I tackle pressing or unpleasant tasks first, ready the office for any clients that might be due; prepare for out of office seminars; before day’s end, I ensure all paperwork/materials are ready for the next day;

I intersperse routine with personal e-mails, answering calls, a short walk or even an out of office pleasurable activity;

No two days are ever the same!

Avil Beckford: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

I am usually demotivated when bored, so the pursuit of a pleasurable or useful activity, paid or unpaid, usually gets me going. Like-minded sharing of ideas is perhaps the most stimulating way I know to get going – I have built up quite a vibrant circle of people who get each other! Many tell me that I am an intense individual – I guess finding people to share intensity with does it for me!

Avil Beckford: If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you differently?

I would not change much!

However, If I had my time over, I would  place more importance on physically related activities…As the years pass I somehow feel/know that I did not make the most of my physical attributes;

I was an awkward, clumsy child who believed himself incapable of dexterity and without detail orientation. I have learned that while my preference is for the broader, creative strokes, I am fully able to function in high detailed environments. I must add though that I prefer my own process structures to those of others….

Necessity taught me late in life that if I slowed my thinking down…many things physical became possible…..

Also…I  was far too serious in my youth….I regret not burning the candle at both ends …I am making up for it now….Like a baba cool as the French would say…

Avil Beckford: What’s the most important discovery you’ve made in the past year?

I am definitely on the right track professionally. Some 10 years ago I decided to work only with individuals/companies that are a good fit – Many advised that this was the path to ruin – I now know that, given my personality, methodology and experience this was the right choice.

Avil Beckford: What are three threats to your success and your business and how are you handling them?

Rodger Harding:

1. I often presume people are on the same page – I make a point of checking in regularly to make sure I have been understood; This is especially true when marketing my business;
2. Many folk prefer a tried and tested approach, or more recognizable service (providing offerings identical to those of competitors) – I am clear as to my approach and make a point of establishing a client fit, up front, that is in line with my chosen approach;
3. A recurring trend is for me to immerse myself in projects without paying sufficient attention to driving new business; – Raising client awareness as to the importance of referrals has been a wonderful solution! Most new business is referral driven!

Avil Beckford: What’s unique about the service you provide?

Rodger Harding: My consulting/training approach is aimed at working with who clients are, rather than who they are expected to be; 20 years plus experience has taught me the value of working with what is, rather than what isn’t! This translates into the ability to recognize, understand, access, validate and empower clients, as well as to ensure relevant and ongoing outcomes.

Avil Beckford: What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?

I prefer to work on a subjective basis with clients, marrying their circumstance/requirements to objective market/industry/workplace realities; I have a strong aversion to labels, profiling and template driven training;

To reach other people requires a degree of risk … I believe I take those risks

Recognizing, understanding and acknowledging the individuality of others is the greatest validation I can provide!

Avil Beckford: Describe a business challenge you had and how you resolved it.

As a small business operator, immersion in tasks/deliverables is often at the expense of new business development; this results in frequent cash flow challenges;

To continue working toward my own priorities in the hands-on fashion I love, the pursuit of like-minded clients has resulted in a constant, albeit erratic, flow of referrals;

People who believe in me have helped out …without being asked! This is perhaps one of the most gratifying aspects of my life – I have somehow earned the confidence and respect of people who believe that it is important that I continue my work…..

Avil Beckford: What lessons did you learn in the process?

• It is OK to graciously receive – I had always thought it was my role to be a giver… Learning to receive, has taught me how better to give!
• I have tailored my life style to accommodate my business ethic
• I can live happily on considerably less than I was used to – Compared to my upbringing and former diplomatic life, I have no status, fewer assets and no power base, yet am happier and a far more useful member of society than ever before…

Avil Beckford: Tell me about your big break and who gave you.

There have been many! All involved random relationships that blossomed into good business deals;

Example: Soon after starting my business, I was invited to participate in a live call-in television program. A young woman, Emelia Prempeh, later called my office and asked for advice, which I freely gave. A year later she hired me to provide career guidance sessions for graduating classes at the Information Technology Institute – then a vibrant IT college that specialized in training diverse professionals and academic graduates into IT experts. I almost refused the opportunity as the compensation was way below market worth, yet my relationship with Emelia prompted me to accept – - Interaction with some 1700 people has been a vast business and personal resource that persist to this day. The 4 year experience made conscious my theory of what constitutes human excellence. I can honestly say that confidence in my unique approach to empowering others had its foundation in the intensity of the 1700 validating interactions experienced;

Avil Beckford: Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

Immigrating to Canada aged 40 proved a tough reality; I found myself (or so I thought at the time) unemployable, and totally without a support network. The currency exchange rate meant that I was suddenly worth 80% less than previously;

This situation prompted me to start my own business. The experience taught me that I was a good entrepreneur, I could make it on my own; I no-longer needed hand-holding…

Using who I am everyday, with or without compensation, brings untold joy;

My self-esteem and confidence are greatly enhanced. I had considered myself fairly evolved without much more to learn when I came to Canada – I was wrong! Lessons learned have awakened me to my own worth…and where true happiness and fulfillment lie!

Avil Beckford: What has been your biggest disappointment in your life – and what are you doing to prevent its reoccurrence?

My intensity in interactions with others is not always easy for them to bear; while I am loved by many I tend to overwhelm/exhaust people if I see them too often;

I am learning to measure my input, but do feel that high energy defines me – I am not really ready to water it down or to dim the lights for easy acceptance – The quest for people who are equally high octane continues; I have also accepted that my emotional fulfillment does not reside in any one person…rather in a mosaic of special relationships that have endured for years;

Avil Beckford: What’s one of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make and how did it impact your life?

That being myself will not always be the easiest route. Many see this aspect of me as arrogance/attitude, yet despite my self-consciousness, lack of confidence etc. something deep inside has always refused to go with the flow for the sake of an easier ride….

Avil Beckford: What are three events that helped to shape your life?

Rodger Harding:

1. The death of a sibling at an early age taught me that a single event can transform lives overnight; building in a real acceptance of the perfect imperfection of the human condition allows me to choose a positive path forward
2. The launch of the New South Africa, illustrated that the worst possible scenarios can change peacefully… The power of true democracy is a beautiful thing!
3. Finding the courage to explore my creative ability has changed who I am for the better – Understanding that I can use my innate/learned competencies to embark on diverse ventures has been totally liberating!

Avil Beckford: What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

Rodger Harding: Being considered a real person!

Avil Beckford: How did mentors influence your life?

Mentors have held up the mirror and shown me potential I did not know I had…Oftentimes I only realized the enormity of their contribution years later…

Avil Beckford: What’s one core message you received from your mentors?

That I am a gifted person who has loads of untapped potential…Using this potential will benefit myself and others.

Avil Beckford: An Invisible Mentor is a unique leader you can learn things from by observing them from a distance, in the role of Invisible Mentor, what’s one piece of advice that you’d like to give to my readers?

Rodger Harding: Any individual is able to be a role model. Awareness of personal impact provides all of us the opportunity to share who we are with others – An unsung and often unconscious process that can be of value to so many! Share who you are… whenever you can!

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Which book has had the most profound impact on your life, and why? If you asked successful leaders which one book had the most impact on their lives, it’s highly unlikely that they would name a business book. Most would name a book that provokes thought. Is your one book thought promoting? I have culled from the interviews, seven books that have influenced the successful leaders which I have presented to you on this blog.

The Artist Way by Julia Cameron with its stepwise approach, and again it’s about honoring the childish side of yourself, to play, to have time that’s just for you, that’s not trying to be better, or doing your duties was a huge revelation for me when I saw how difficult that was to do. Carolyn Barber

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It taught me to embrace life, and no matter what to always appreciate the moment, live your life in the moment and not to let the other things get in your way. It’s an amazing book. Sean MacDonald

Steven King’s The Stand, mostly because of the creative writing and the descriptions he used to set scenes, describe characters and make you, as the reader, feel like you were in this world. Don Martelli

Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I love that book and it’s probably the one that I have read more than any other book. I’ve read it about a dozen times. It really speaks to me in terms of living your true life and stepping to your own drum. It’s very emotional and if reincarnation is true I feel like Henry David Thoreau was one of my past lives. John Kremer

Hero of a Thousand Faces by the great mythologist, Joseph Campbell.  He taught me to ‘follow my bliss.’ David Gray

David Copperfield, (Charles Dickens) – I first heard this book serialized on the radio aged 9. I read the book aged 10 and still find it an inspiration. The exploration of family life, friendship, love, hardship, death, human greatness/imperfection, as well as personal evolution encompasses just about every human emotion … Rodger Harding

Tom Peters – Brand You 50. This was one of the very first books on personal branding and started my journey. As soon as I read it I realized what he was talking about was what I had done in my career and explained a lot. It was probably more emotional because it spoke to my belief that you can do what you want to do if you put your mind and efforts to it. Paul Copcutt

How many of these seven books have you read? How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book links are affiliate links.