Lessons Out of Africa - The Importance of Mentoring

Recently while working with a client in South Africa, I had the opportunity to go on safari in Kruger National Park. Surrounded by 2 million hectares of magnificent Africa, I heard many interesting stories. Two in particular were so intriguing, that I forgot where I was and started pondering what makes people successful.

The first story I heard was how the park contains far too many elephants, which has an adverse effect on the biodiversity of the park. Every few years, great controversy occurs when the park conducts a cull of elephants. The first of these culls, beginning back in 1966, created a problem that was more severe than too many elephants… lots of wild, angry and out of control elephants.

How did this happen? The elephants culled, were the older bull elephants - the elders of the herd. Back then, the zoologists had not realised that it was the elders who taught the younger elephants how to behave. Without role models, the elephants did not learn how to act towards other elephants or to their environment - to make the herd sustainable. With no guidance from the "old and bold", the younger elephants did not know how to live and succeed in their environment.

The sad fact was these out of control youngsters became a danger to other elephants, animals and people, and even to themselves, and subsequently had to be killed. Unfortunately, the culling continues but the current approach keeps the herd whole or removes the herd in total. A sad but necessary evil to keep and protect the environment they live in for future generations.

The second fascinating narration I heard was how young Zulu tribesmen, as part of their initiation into manhood, spend time with the elders of their tribe. During this time, they gain wisdom and insight into Zulu life. Again, the elders are the ones who provide direction and guidance.

So surrounded by all the splendid flora and fauna I was compelled to think about how this applies to us in the modern world. At school, we learn a limited set of standard knowledge, but do we get the stuff that really matters? Do we receive the guidance needed from our elders? Do we have input from people who have "been there and done it"? This is not typically part of our culture.

Elephants are complex and intelligent creatures, but they do not possess a natural instinct on how to live and succeed in their environment, nor do people. We need to be taught how to be successful in the modern world, by people who are successful themselves. This is where mentoring and coaching comes into play.

Since mentoring and coaching are not ingrained in our culture, we can take one of two paths. The first is trial and error. We can learn as we go, building a base of experience needed to be successful in our own right. Many people take this path and get there but the majority of folks on this path never achieve their dreams.

The second "smarter" path is to find somebody who has been there before and ask them for guidance. They can take us around the pitfalls and show us the critical factors in achieving the success we seek.

Mentoring/coaching can be formal or informal. It can involve a structured weekly program designed to lead you through a development process so you become the person you need to become, to do the things you need to do, to be successful. Alternatively, the mentor/coach can act as a sounding board and a guide along your path. They may be with you a long time, a short time, cover one area of expertise or cover many areas - it all depends on your needs.

The use of a mentor/coach is one of the keys to success. Statistics show that only 5% of people achieve any level of financial/business success, proving more of us need that guidance from those who have walked the path before us.