3 Things I Learned from my Mentors

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In my experience as a business owner and aspiring entrepreneur, I have learned that I have 

landed the biggest deals and saved myself from losing a lot of money when I have consulted with a business mentor. Mentors are truly game changing, and are completely necessary if you want to come out on top and survive as a business owner. 

Today I want to share a few key lessons I've learned from some great mentors, plus I will offer some links for further research and development if you align with these ideas. 

I encourage you to read on regardless of if you believe in mentors or not. 

If you enjoy this blog, please like it. If you disagree with mentors or the wisdom i’m sharing, please comment! I love to hear all opinions, whether they curry favour or not. 

Now let’s dive in!

3 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY BUSINESS MENTORS 

1) Set Intentions for Every Professional Appointment 

Life is short, and your working hours are even shorter. According to this study. The typical 25-54 year old works an average of 5 hrs a day on focused business activities.   I don't know about you, but I LIVE by my calendar. It tells me where to go and what to do. My role is dynamic and I have a lot of others relying on my ability to organize and coordinate. Before I met Ken at Level 5 Mentors I would often find myself booking appointments with myself and my staff without clear intentions. Sure I would say "meet about XYZ Project" in the subject, but the body of the event was empty. When the appointment time would come, I would spend the first 15-20 mins of the hour trying to "get organized".  Sound familiar? Well good news, the solution is simple! 

a) Create Time Blocks: Break up your day into 3-4 bit sized chunks with a clear objective for each apt or meeting. 

b) Set a clear intention for each block:  Spend a few minutes and answer these questions when booking an appointment.   

  • What is the purpose of this meeting? 

  • What is the biggest impact this will have on me or the project? 

  • Success Criteria: What actions must be complete by the end of this appointment (takeaways). 

Now I set a clear intention for every appointment and I know my goal(s) for each time slot. I don't always achieve victory, but that's okay because I also play the infinite game.

2) Play the Infinite Game!  

If you haven't already read Simon Sinek's book Infinite Game,  it’s a must. It's a simple philosophy that gives us keystone activities to build a successful business and life. The concept is simple. Finite games have defined rules and players. Think Baseball, hockey, golf.

Yet, infinite games have undefined rules and players. Think, marriage, friendship, business and life. You cannot win at business anymore then you can win at marriage. In an infinite game you are either in the game or you drop out. 

Many businesses are operated like it's a finite game. Their leaders focus on short term goals, like next quarter's sales numbers. They are reactionary to competitors and they operate from a position of fear. The problem with this approach is that it becomes stagnant. A business that exists to make a product or service becomes obsolete when consumer preferences change.  

Recognize that you are playing an infinite game. When you do, you will value living an authentic life true to your core values and you will seek out clear just causes to contribute your energy too. Here are the 5 criteria that define a sustainable just cause.   

When living life as an infinite game you realize that it's important to focus on a balanced life to keep you effective in the game for as long as desired, which leads to the third lesson. 

3) Design your life Intentionally 

While training at Crossfit London my coach introduced me to the concept of designing your ideal life. I was going through a life transformation. My lack of health management and countless hours of working myself to the bone had resulted in aches, pain and a seizure (but that's a story for another time). As I worked on my health I also discussed behaviors and activities in my life. My mentor introduced me to a book: Design your Life in which the authors layout a simple way to measure your life's fulfillment. You are guided through a simple practice to measure your fulfilment in 4 key areas. 

  • Love (and Family) 

  • Work  

  • Play 

  • Health 

Once you have an assessment of where you are, you can then begin prototyping new paths. The concept is simple “design thinking.” Designers are problem solvers. They create innovative ways to get things done. Most of us fall into the trap of a "single right solution". This locks us into repetitive and self-defeating strategies. Design thinking encourages us to try out different methods and solutions until we find one that is viable while aligning with our life interests and just causes. 

All three of these lessons have helped shape my professional and personal life in profound ways. I encourage you to try to implement one of these three rules into your daily life for the next week regardless of if you found them insightful or straightforward. Send me a personal message on how it goes, I look forward to hearing your experiences with these wisdoms. 

Please subscribe for more and if you have learned a great lesson from your mentor please share! I'd love to hear it. 

Camille Moore