The “Greater-Than-Yourself” Project

Do you know your greatest strengths and weaknesses? Have you written these down so you can really think about what you have to offer the people around you? If you have, you may be ready to participate in a special project.

The “Greater than Yourself” project, founded by Steve Farber, is a way we can each contribute to the greater good by selecting people that we can mentor.

Here are a few suggestions to get started in your mentoring efforts:
• Choose wisely; start with someone you know and trust, someone with drive & energy
• Mutually decide on what you’ll tackle to help the person grow and reach their goals
• Show them the ropes, introduce them to others, sing their praises
• Use tough love and encourage them
If each of us brought along just one person, think of all the leaders we would prepare.

The challenges ahead for our businesses and our country can seem overwhelming. One way to prepare for the future is to create leaders who are ready to take charge when their time comes.
By the way, while your mentee needs your help and guidance, let them be who they are. They are not “mini-me’s.”

I have mentored several people over the years and I especially like to work with young people. They are hungry for guidance and information and, generally, I learn a lot from them. I have mentored both men and women; people of many ages and races. The rewards are the same from each relationship; I gain a sense of purpose and the world gets a shining star. Each of them taught me to listen better and that is one of the best gifts I could have received.

Lastly, think about the richness of inter-generational collaboration. This isn’t just about the young teaching the older people technology or older people talking about “walking 5 miles in the snow with no boots.” It’s about building our future, capitalizing on the energy and open-mindedness of youth along with the wisdom of experience. Exciting things are bound to happen when we work together for the good of all!

To read more about Steve’s ideas, click here.