“A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of us to show us how they did it. A mentor walks alongside us to show us what we can do.”
– Daniel Cane
This quote is amazing to me because it was shared by someone I don’t know well, but the quote is from someone I do know. Ok, that’s just the irony of social media. That said, Daniel Cane’s point is an incredible one. The best mentors realize that they have as much to learn from the person they’re mentoring as the person being mentored has to learn from the mentor.
Far too many people underestimate the power of mentorship. Having someone who can hold you accountable and who can support and sustain you during hard times is invaluable. This is what a great mentor does. They can come to understand you, your needs, your desires, and inspire you to achieve them. When we’re so caught up in ourselves it’s powerful to have someone else provide an untainted perspective.
Choosing the right mentor can be a tricky thing. You want someone who you enjoy being around and respect. However, you also want to make sure that person isn’t afraid to be honest with you and push you the way a mentor should push you when needed. Finding the right balance can be hard. Not to mention a mentor that’s a good match.
However, if you’re looking for the perfect mentor, they don’t exist. The good thing about mentors is that you can change them if it’s not a good fit. In fact, many people suggest that every couple years you should find a new mentor who can teach you something new. What everyone seems to agree on is the value of mentors.
Where do you find a mentor? Conferences of peers is a great place to find a mentor. Sometimes the person doesn’t have to formally be named a mentor. Many of my best mentors have been people who I’ve grown to love and interacted with regularly in my profession. I never called them mentors, but they certainly played that role.
What’s your view on mentors? Do you have one? Do you wish you had one? For those that have one, what’s been their impact on your life?
Sooooo 1980s.
2018 mentor (a la Andrew Slavitt et al): did you maximize profits? Squid, pathetic employee, how much money can you make for your corporate overlords (UHC, Aetna, Kaiser, Humana, Cigna) from so-called ‘patient encounters’?
‘Consultants’, how many pfennigs can you squeeze from the gummint? Can we use ‘analytics’ to screw more people out of healthcare? Any more jobs that don’t involve moving morbidly obese patients that we can’t backfill with South Asians?
Cant we reduce the level of human dignity a couple more notches in the names of ‘wellness’? Fat shaming? Humiliate smokers?
Why wouldnt any self-respecting American healthcare IT employee not see current trends as reprehensible? Epic? Cerner? Athenahealth? Taste puke in the back of your mouth yet?
Aren’t there any more ‘hospitals’ to be built for rich Ay-rab despots by slave labor by the likes of UPMC and Cleveland Clinic?
A disgusting state of affairs; mentors hang your heads in shame; you gave made a horrible mess for society woth your unencumbered greed.
I know you will never approve my comment because it doesnt serve your creepy ideals of steal what you can while you can, which is the current healthcare ‘business model’; if only there was a judgment day for the revolting scum who drive American healthcare in the Trump era. Why dont you do posts about the shitheels who are driving our society into an utter clump of profit taking shit? BECAUSE THEY OWN YOU