Is the art of great conversations dead? And what does mentoring have to do with great conversations? Mentoring is about relationships and the best relationships involve conversations. The greatest mentors schedule time with their mentees to meet and converse. Additionally, people can be mentored by the conversations they have – better conversations, better mentoring opportunities.
Be Your Own Mentor
Being your own mentor involves self-leadership, and being proactive about filling your mentoring needs. In the days of yore, philosophers like Confucius and Socrates participated in great discourses with their followers. They understood the art of great conversations. And they spent a lot of time to have these great conversations. With the busyness of our lives today, are we missing out on the art of great conversations? When was the last time you had a great conversation with someone?
In the case of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and great thinker who lived 551 BC – 479 BC, the dialogues between master and disciples were very honest, and both mentor and mentees benefited and grew from this relationship. Confucius was humble, and he observed people, emulating their good traits, and when he spotted less than ideal traits in others, he didn’t point a finger, instead he checked himself to see if he possessed those bad traits and made corrections if he did.
Socrates, the Greek philosopher who lived 470 BC – 399 BC, had great discourses with many of his friends such as Plato and Crito, but the tone of the conversations were different. Although Socrates was very honest in his conversation and dealings with others, he lacked political savvy and didn’t keep quiet in situations when he should have. No one wants to be derided. His attitude led to his death by being forced to commit suicide by consuming poison.
When you are your own mentor, you are in the driver’s seat. You get to emulate the good traits of others, and when you observe bad behaviour, you get a lesson on what not to do. Be your own mentor! There is much you can learn from both Confucius and Socrates about the art of great conversations.
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