How Relationships Have an Ongoing Impact

When we’re intentional about building each of those steps into sustaining the relationships we build with our mentors, the long-term return will compound - in our lives, in the organizations we’re part of, and in ways we likely won’t see for years to come. Terry, Rod, and Kevin have all actively mentored since the early 2000s. During our time working together directly, the facility we worked at achieved several significant milestones: a tremendous reduction in injury rate, lower worker’s compensation costs, higher morale throughout the workforce, and recognition as one of the best safety programs in the company and throughout Virginia. Just as importantly as any of those things was the growth we saw in so many other team members who were involved in those initiatives with us. From 2000 to 2010, the improvement in the overall safety culture at that location left little to be desired.

Early in this look at why relationships are key to unlocking our potential, I share a comment I’m told nearly every time I talk with my friend, Mark: “You’ll never know this side of Heaven how many people you’ve impacted.” I can say without hesitation that, through the mentorship Terry, Rod, and Kevin provided, I had a hand in improving the working lives of dozens of people. And with the support of those people, we made a positive difference for hundreds of others there, as well as their immediate families. By having access to mentors, I had opportunities I likely would have never had otherwise. By implementing the input they offered, we - as a team - drove remarkable results for our organizations. And through the team members I had the privilege of passing those lessons onto, our work laid a foundation that yielded results for years after Terry, Rod, Kevin, and I had all moved on to other roles.

I could detail just as many successes I’ve seen, personally and with the organizations I’ve had the opportunity to support in some way, all of which being a direct result of the mentorship provided to me. While that has certainly been crucial for me, the most exciting part has been seeing how each of the mentoring relationships we nurture can (and do) have an ongoing impact - on other individuals, on teams, and for entire organizations. Although I’ve only listed a few here, I could easily include over a dozen more mentors who have sown into my life and career so that I had the tools necessary to intentionally develop others. Without Terry, Rod, or Kevin guiding me through my first few professional positions, or Chris filling such a critical spot for me since going into business for myself, I’m confident that any success would have been limited. And I’m equally certain that the people I’ve had the opportunity to mentor along the way would have had far less to gain.

To close this look at maximizing the return on our investment in relationships, I’ll challenge you to take inventory of the people you’ve been able to count on for the kind of mentorship you need to grow in your own role(s). What have you done to invest in the sustainability of those relationships? How have you shown appreciation and worked to add value for what they provide? What steps do you actively take to apply the lessons your mentors have shared? And where can you look for the mentorship you’ll need to move forward? As you work to display the answers to each of these through your behavior, each relationship will deepen. But none of it will happen by accident, you’ll need to be incredibly intentional. When you’ve developed systems (and habits) for each of these, you’ll have countless opportunities to pay it forward. Developing others is the path to leadership - so we’ll dig into that soon.