The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Rodger Harding’

March 8 – 12, 2010 is Make a Referral Week, which small business would you recommend to others and why? According to the Make a Referral Week website, “Make a Referral Week is an entrepreneurial approach to stimulating the small business economy one referred business at a time. The goal for the week is to generate 1000 referred leads to 1000 deserving small businesses in an effort to highlight the impact of a simple action that could blossom into millions of dollars in new business.”

On March 10 at noon CST, there is also a webinar designed to teach you how to incorporate a referral system into your business. I have registered for the session, click here to register. There will be other web events during the week that you can participate in.

I thought about this question and I would recommend Rodger Harding from Harding International and Associates Inc. I interviewed Rodger for my newsletter Ambeck Edge over a year ago and I also posted the interview here if you wanted to read it. I have known Rodger for at least five years and I used his services through the Canadian Women in Communications. I participated in the one-to-one mentoring program. He has the ability to read people, and he knows which questions to ask. I have had coaches before and he is very different from them. He didn’t attend coaching school and in his words he “validates excellence,” the excellence in you. Each mentoring session is two hours in length and he video records the session so that you can review it later.

After you participate in one of Rodger’s one-to-one mentoring sessions, you have clarity around what your next steps are. He is brutally, honest so the faint at heart may not appreciate his candidness. I have interviewed members of the Canadian Women in Communications for two projects and many of the interviewees have sang the praises of the program.

For Make  a Referral Week, which small business would you refer and why? Go to the Make a Referral Week website and click on the link Make Your Referral Here! Let’s all do our small part.

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know what you think about this.  Click on the comment link 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 left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

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• Making Referrals As a Job Creation Engine (ducttapemarketing.com)

I got the idea for this post after I read the headline “10 Reasons You Need a Mentor, Especially Mid-Career.” I decided to approach this post by presenting the responses to mentor questions that I ask accomplished people, and you get to decide if you need a mentor.

How did mentors influence your life?

Dennie Theodore

By believing in me. That’s the thing you need most when the world is feeling dark.

David Gray

Mentors have influenced my life more by their actions and their own ways of conducting themselves rather than by any specific mentoring per se.

Rodger Harding

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…

Deborah Koehler

They made all the difference in the world. They believed in me when I doubted myself.

Shannon Van Roekel

I never had a real mentor, unless I can count my mother, but I have had lots of examples of what not to do and a husband who is wise.

Brian Johnson

Interesting that I get to this question after describing the above. I have a complex relationship with mentors.

On the down side, had I followed a couple of “mentors’” advice early in my life, I never would have created my first business, eteamz. When I asked some pretty successful people what they thought of the idea, they thought it was a terrible idea and one actually told me “to take another hit on that pipe if you think you can pull that off.” They told me it would cost at least a million dollars to build the technology (we did it for less than $15,000 + 6 months of hard work and a lot of canned tuna) and reminded me I had no experience or contacts so who was I to get that money and build it (fair points as I had very little business experience and essentially no contacts). Oh, and they said I violated rule #1 of a business: the market has to “need” your product—which was a valid point because, at the time, there were only a few hundred teams and leagues in the world who were using the web so they didn’t think there was a need.

That was just the motivation I needed to rock it. I set the goal of getting 1 million teams in 5 years. (We got there in 4)

On the positive side, I’ve gotten amazing support and wisdom from some extraordinary human beings. Special thanks to Sam Wyly again, plus John Mackey (the CEO of Whole Foods) and Gay Hendricks (author of 30+ books including my favorites: “Five Wishes” and “The Big Leap”).

Being around these guys has totally changed my life. But, I’ve gotta say that it has been less what they *told* me (although they’ve each given me great practical advice) and much more about who they are and how they show up in the world and how that mojo has rubbed off.

For example, the scope of Sam Wyly’s vision is RIDICULOUSly big. He sees the world in terms of THE WORLD. So, when I’d tell him I wanted millions of people in our community at Zaadz, he’d nod his head and smile and say, “How can we do it and how much money do you need to do it?!?” (I remember one day when I met with him (a billionaire) and a nice, well-meaning potential investor (a millionaire) and the difference between how BIG they thought and the resulting advice they gave was *amazing.*)

Additional unsolicited advice: In addition to choosing your mentors wisely, I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is to trust yourself. Ultimately, a great mentor is someone who reflects back your highest potential and helps you tap into the wisdom you already have while sprinkling some tips they’ve picked up along the way. I’d personally run away from anyone who tells me I’m thinking too big or can’t do something or some such other nonsense.

As John Eliot says in his great book, Overachievement: “as soon as anyone starts telling you to be ‘realistic,’ cross that person off your invitation list.”

Steve Spalding

I like to believe that I learn something from everyone I talk to, that’s why I love chatting with different kinds of people.

As for my mentors, I think that all the people I would consider mentors had shared one thing in common — they have given me the opportunity to make mistakes.

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

Dennie Theodore

To be yourself, ask questions and be an advocate for yourself and others.

David Gray

Establish trust by being principled and doing what you say you will do.

Rodger Harding

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

Deborah Koehler

You know what you need to do within yourself, trust yourself and move toward where you are pulled.

Shannon Van Roekel

The best thing I can do to market my book is to learn to write well.

Brian Johnson

Trust yourself.

(I vividly remember a chat with Steve Wynne (the former CEO of Adidas who we brought on as our CEO at eteamz), when he told me the two most important things about business: 1. Trust yourself. 2. Business is simple, keep it that way.)

Steve Spalding

I think that is the core message. To grow as an entrepreneur, you need to have the freedom to make mistakes. If you don’t, you can’t expect to do anything interesting.

People grossly underestimate how complex business can be, they assume that everything will work out exactly as planned. What I will say is that in all cases that I’ve seen, it never does.

One of the few good things a mentor can give you is the room to breathe that you need to learn this for yourself, find a solution (or not) and fail with your head held high.

They need to teach but only after they’ve let you do it yourself for a while.

What are your thoughts after you have read the responses to the two questions? Do you need a mentor?

Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over here The Invisible Mentor (top on the left side) and subscribe by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here. Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please comment.

Rodger Harding

Dabid Gray

 
Learning from the experiences of others shortens the time it takes to achieve professional success. Invisible Mentors Rodger Harding and David Gray share with us what a typical day is like and what it takes to succeed in their fields. What can we learn from them?

What’s a typical day like for you?

 Rodger Harding (RH): 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 (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio 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!

David Gray (DG): A typical week-day starts around 7:30 am with a breakfast of home-made muesli.  I very seldom miss breakfast.  While I eat, I respond to emails. Then it’s off to meet my clients.  When possible, I grab a quick lunch.  Then in the afternoon the consultation process continues with my clients.  In addition to my own practice www.davidgraycoach.com I work on large firms’ Career and Coaching delivery contracts, so there is seldom a dull moment.  By 7 pm I am usually home and enjoy spending a couple of hours with my wife, Anne, sharing a laugh while we cook and eat dinner and then settle in for a couple hours of reading or TV.  By 11 pm I am back at the computer responding to emails.  By 1 pm I am generally in bed. 

 Saturdays and Sundays are catch-up days.  I might see one or two clients on a Saturday, but for the most part I enjoy doing domestic chores (yes, I am that rare male who actually enjoys doing cooking, laundry etc., as I find it very relaxing.)  For exercise I swim at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre at Spadina & Bloor where I am a member.  I try to fit some yoga in at the Yoga Sanctuary at College and Yonge, and I do a stretching and Pilates routine at home that Dr Darlene at Balance Fitness at Yonge & St Clair designed for me.

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

 RH: 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!

DG: I tend to think way outside the existing structures and definitions concerning how to help people break-through to new levels of consciousness in both their business and personal ways of dealing with challenges.

 What does it take to succeed in your field?

 RH: To bring the message above to as many people as possible

 Avil’s Note: Rodger’s reference to “message above” in his response  refers to his formula for success, which is immediately below:

•  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….

 DG: To be successful in my field one typically needs empathy, compassion, a conscientious work ethic and a background in HR.  However, to be truly outstanding one additionally needs a great degree of life history in a variety of business settings as well as a high degree of intuitive and innovative intelligence in order to be able to work with people from numerous diverse backgrounds who are each struggling with very individual career and life challenges.  In a word, one needs wisdom.  And typically, that can only be accumulated over a long period of time after encountering a variety of challenging situations in one’s own career and life.

Are there any lessons we can learn from Rodger and David? How might we adapt some of their ideas? What are your thoughts?

Related Posts

Interview With Your “Invisible Mentor” Rodger Harding

Learn from the Experiences of Others: Interview With David Gray

About Rodger Harding: For more than a decade Rodger Harding’s Toronto based Business Leadership Consultancy has provided high level consulting, training & keynote speaking services to diverse corporate, government and not-for- profit clients.  His skill-set has evolved over almost three decades in an international career that spans, Law, Diplomacy and Business Consulting.

About David Gray: David has advised executive clients based in Canada, the UK, Europe and Asia.  In addition to his own consulting practice, David serves as President of the Board, Toronto Chapter of the Association of Career Professionals International (ACP International), and is a member of the Strategic Leadership Forum (GTA).

Rodger Harding

When you think of a mentor, what comes to your mind? Perhaps you think of a champion with whom you meet with regularly. Or, a  person who guides you. But, does a mentor have to be a live person?  Could a mentor be a book, or even an interview?

I think so!

I call these types of mentors “invisible mentors,” and the best thing is that they are just a point and a click away, and you can access them at your convenience. Read Rodger Harding’s interview with an open mind and see what nuggets of wisdom you can pick up. What aspects of the interview can you use in your work and life?

Describe a business challenge you had and how you resolved it.

Challenge: 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.

Resolution: 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…..

Lessons Learned

1. 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!
2. I have tailored my life style to accommodate my business ethic
3. 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…

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…

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.

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.

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!

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.

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….

Do you have problems integrating work and life? Do you waste time thinking about what could have been? How have mentors influenced your life? And, when are you happy, have you ever stopped to think about it? To read Rodger Harding’s responses to these questions and more, download the entire interview.

For more than a decade Rodger Harding’s Toronto based Business Leadership Consultancy has provided high level consulting, training & keynote speaking services to diverse corporate, government and not-for- profit clients. His skill-set has evolved over almost three decades in an international career that spans, Law, Diplomacy and Business Consulting. Rodger Harding is also the author of Corporate Intelligence Awareness.

Related Resources

Excerpt from January/Febraury 2009 Ambeck Edge

Learn from the Experiences of Others: Interview With David Gray

Harding International

Corporate Intelligence Awareness