Everyone has 3 types of working relationships in their life; those of Mentor, Peer, and Mentee. It is important to define what each relationship looks like, so we can identify them in our lives.
1. Mentors
- We receive our DIRECTION, BELIEFS, & OPINIONS from those we allow influence in our life – Mentors.
Upon whom am I basing my life’s direction, beliefs, and opinions off of? If we do not have people operating at a higher level speaking directly into our lives we are on a road trip without directions.
I remember in the not so distant past, when I was living in Italy some friends and I hoped in my car and decided to head to Germany for the weekend. It was the fall of 2006 and the iPhone hadn’t even been invented yet. We just started heading “North”. We left Italy, entered Austria, and then were lost on the back side of some range in the Alps. I had to pull off to the side of the road open up the trunk and pull out my road map. With a flashlight pinched between my head and shoulder we made our best attempt to find our location and plot out a course to our desired destination. While this is a wonderful memory with friends, it was a horribly inefficient trip that wasted both time and resources.
It would have served me well to seek out a mentor who had traveled to Germany and listened to their advice concerning the best path to reach my desired destination.
Now before I head anywhere I open my GPS app on my iPhone and know the best route and even upcoming traffic and arrival time. Boy, I’m thankful for technology!
Knowing how to navigate to where you are going is as vital as knowing where you are trying to arrive at.
In life, a mentor offers those key bits of information that help you succeed in your goals.
2. Peers
- Receive and Give SUPPORT & ENCOURAGEMENT to those around us – Peers.
These are those who are doing what you are doing: your coworkers, your friends, your contemporaries.
While I was lost on my European road trip, the three friends (peers) I had in the car where just as lost as I was. We had never been where we were before. We worked through the situation together, well one guy stayed in the car… but isn’t that the reality of it? Some of our peers have great intentions and want to help and figure our how to move forward, while others are focused on themselves. A great peer supports you in your journey, because they know the struggles related to your current place. It was nice to have friends along with my during this trip, I didn’t feel have as stupid or scared about being lost in the middle of the mountains of a foreign country – compared to if I had been alone.
It is always better to be lost with a friend.
3. Mentees
- We have a RESPONSIBILITY to be engaged in those coming up behind us – to ENCOURAGE & INSTRUCT – Mentee
Read Part 2 of this post here, it covers what a healthy balance of these relationships look like in our every day life.
You can see a great example of this principle displayed in the Bible – Colossians 4
One thought to “3 Relationships You Have Right Now (pt1)”