It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: the role of the mentor in your success
The start of something legendary
The original version of this article appeared on my LinkedIn account.
One of the most iconic moments in video game culture is in the beginning of the 1986 Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The screen lifted and you navigated little green-clad Link into a dark cave where a wizened old man uttered the timeless phrase “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this” and handed you the sword that started you on your adventure. That sage, and/or several uncanny look-alikes, appeared throughout the game to give advice, give you items, or sometimes to take your hard-earned rupees because you accidentally bombed the entrance to their home, but let’s not get into that right now. He was a mentor.
Mentors in games are a mechanism to guide you when you need to map your literal path, to teach you the controls, and take a deliberate role in shaping your Hero’s Journey. In the business world, a mentor is a person who helps you along your career path. They can be external or internal to the company you work for. They are usually, but not always, in the same industry and can help you navigate existing challenges and rise to new ones. Most of all, they are a connection between you and your goals, a bonus perspective that triggers growth and meaning.
In his book, The Power of the Other, Dr. Henry Cloud notes that this connection is vital to developing self-growth: “We learn to challenge ourselves when someone pushes us past our perceived limits, and then we learn to do that for ourselves. We learn to think differently and to think about our thinking by having someone observe us and get us to observe ourselves.” Whether it's Dr. Light upgrading your Mega Man, Vesemir educating your Witcher Geralt, or Captain Anderson validating your Shepard's honor and integrity (or lack thereof) in Mass Effect, video game mentors help set the stage for your journey.
One of the comforting things about finding a mentor is that they’ve done it all, seen it all, and know how to get through it all. There is no shortage of crazy “I also messed up” stories, which is a balm for a wounded ego when you make a mistake. I worked at a company that offered an internal mentor matching program. Thanks to that program, I developed a relationship that went on strong for over three years where we engaged in a fulfilling exchange of ideas and encouragement. My mentor Anta cheered me on through business projects, helped me take a much-needed step back to reset, and was my sounding board when I wanted to work through ways to be a more effective support professional for my teams. On the flip side, I assumed a mentor role to a colleague in that same organization. There was nothing formal about it, but as we talked more frequently, I saw that our conversations drove her to expand her comfort zone and advocate for herself more. In the wider community, Chrissy Scivicque, corporate trainer, author, and creator of Eat Your Career, has been my mentor, and dear friend, for years. She encouraged me to publish my writing and let my voice be heard even when I was filled with doubt and fear of being judged.
The mentor, however, isn’t the sole influential factor in your career. Let’s face it: you need a whole party.