Mentoring and Mothering

Last night, I finally got around to watching the Barbie movie, and a poignant quote struck a cord with me:

“𝙒𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚.” - 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝

It made me think not only about my role as a mother, but also as a leader.

In my 20+ years as a leader, I've been fortunate to mentor and develop individuals younger than myself, 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝘀. It's about being a role model, offering inspiration, and stretching them beyond their perceived capacities. Witnessing them step into their gifts is truly an honor.

However, as the mentoring journey progresses, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲. The initial luster fades as they begin to see me more clearly – my humanness, imperfections, and struggles. While I never intend to let them down, I do because I'm human. This 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵.

At this juncture, it becomes 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀. I've poured everything I can into their growth, and the separation is often bittersweet.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨.

Somewhere along their path, they 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁. And this gift is offered, not because of the strength of my leadership, but because of the strength of my humanness.

This cycle of mentorship and growth is a powerful, albeit challenging, aspect of leadership. And one that is absolutely worthwhile.

I am so grateful to all of the incredible individuals I've had the privilege to guide over the years. They have helped me become a better leader and are a great source of inspiration in my life.

#LeadershipJourney #Mentorship #LeadershipAlchemy #barbiemovie #payitforward #humanleadership