10 Mentoring Tips from Lee Child’s Jack Reacher

Introduction to Lee Child’s Jack Reacher

I have never been sold on Lee Child’s (Jim Grant) books with the character Jack Reacher, until I read One Shot, and now my impressions are changing. I learned about Child’s books from Josh Hanagarne, The World's Strongest Librarian, who is a big fan of Jack Reacher. I read two of Child’s books, Worth Dying For and Second Son, and was lukewarm.  When I heard that Tom Cruise would play the role of Jack Reacher, there was a big disconnect for me. The way I visualized Jack Reacher did not fit with the image of Tom Cruise. 

I went to the bookstore to find out which Jack Reacher novel the movie is based on and was told One Shot. I decided to give Lee Child another chance. I read One Shot in preparation for seeing the film, and surprisingly I enjoyed the book. Looking at One Shot, and also at the other Jack Reacher novels that I read, I picked out 10 mentoring tips to pass on to you.

If Jack Reacher were a mentor, here is the mentoring advice that he would give to his protégés about work and life.

10 Mentoring Tips from Lee Child's Jack Reacher 

1. Gather information and draw your own conclusions.
2. Believe in your abilities.
3. Question everything.
4. Things are seldom as they first appear.
5. Stand up for yourself,
6. Stand up for what you believe in.
7. Always go the extra mile because it could be the difference between success and failure.
8. Stand by the people you believe in, even if you have to go against the grain.
9. Speak up against injustices.
10. If you have something on your mind say it. 

You do not have to like someone or a character to learn from them. You do not have to like their lifestyle to appreciate what they have to say. Jack Reacher may be a drifter, but when in a tight spot, he is someone you would like to have in your corner. I wrote this post in 2012, and based on what is happening in the world today, the mentoring tips are more important than ever. 

With so much fake news, we cannot believe everything that we read. We have to learn to think critically. With the rise of discrimination and violence in the world, we have to believe in something, and we have to stand up for what we believe in.

[Related Post: Why Critical Thinking Skills are the Secret Ingredients for Success]

Josh Hanagarne has written extensively about Lee Child’s books. Below are the links to three of his posts.

Further Reading from The World’s Strongest Librarian 

The Lee Child Reacher Novels In Order, for Readers Who Don’t Know Where To Start

Book Review: The Affair by Lee Child

Second Son by Lee Child (short story about Jack Reacher!)

Jack Reacher Books

 Killing Floor: A Jack Reacher Novel Night School: A Jack Reacher Novel Die Trying (Jack Reacher, Book 2) A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher) The Hard Way (Jack Reacher) Make Me (with bonus short story Small Wars): A Jack Reacher Novel One Shot (Jack Reacher) Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher) Tripwire: A Jack Reacher Novel Persuader (Jack Reacher) The Enemy (Jack Reacher) Running Blind: A Jack Reacher Novel