Looking for More Great Reads? Try "Great Teams"

Great Teams by Don Yaeger shares the 'secret sauce' of great teams, both within and outside of sports.

He devotes one chapter to mentoring. 

Key Point 1: "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." 

Tim Duncan arrived on the San Antonio Spurs with David Robinson already installed as the 'lead dog'. That didn't stop Robinson from taking Duncan under his wing and training him in the Spurs Way. Along the way, Duncan and teammates won five NBA titles. 

Key Point 2: Mentoring is critical in most professions. 

Sometimes a mentor can inspire (lecturer Dr. Faith Fitzgerald) or help up close and day-to-day (CAPT Bill Baker and CAPT Tom Walsh). 

Key Point 3: Cultivate relationships that can become mentoring. 

Sadie Jaggers became close friends with Elena Soukos and Gia Vlajkovic. Their friendship helped Sadie reach out for tips when she hit a few rough spots during the season. 

Yaeger drops suggestions for a mentoring culture. 

• Make it intentional. Have a plan, e.g. vets and youngsters. 
• Train employees to look for mentoring opportunities.
• Ask team members to look for mentoring. 
• Always be "team first." 
• "Team first" means everyone.
• Avoid jealousy (junior employees may surpass mentors).
• Remember where you came from. Everyone starts as junior staffer.

Lagniappe. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says, "there is always a pecking order." Can we be a great teammate and still lead if we're not an 'alpha' on the team? 

Post by @astoicsdaily

View on Threads