Dear Leader,
I trust this week’s letter meets you in pursuit of wisdom.
I spoke at an event last week that had participants across Nigeria and Ghana. I shared a few of my lessons on maximising your potential and choosing a career path. During the Q&A, one of the participants from Ghana asked a question about the kind of networks I built that has helped me in my career journey. While I was praying a few days ago, It came to my mind that I should share an extension of that answer with you.
I’ll begin by saying I have been intentional about my life since the year 2010. I had just gained admission to study sociology at Delta State University, Abraka Nigeria and I began my leadership journey, responsible for people & programs while working with an organisation called FECA Nigeria at about that same time.
Over the years, even after graduation, I have learnt that there are 5 people every leader needs as they advance towards a life of purpose, impact and leadership. If your goal in life is one of fulfilling purpose, making impact, and leaving the world better than you met it, then take this letter seriously.
In the event last week, I only talked about 3, but I’ll give you the remaining in this letter.
Below are five kinds of people every one of us needs as we grow in our leadership journey. You won’t find all five in one person, so don’t go looking for a “superhuman” who can be everything to you. Instead, build a small circle where each person plays their part.
The 5 people you need in your journey:
- Mentors
- Coaches
- Sponsors
- Prophets/Pastors
- Friends
Let me attempt to explain a bit of each of them, and why.
1. Mentors
These are the people ahead of you who show you the way, not by telling you what to do, but by letting you learn from their life. A mentor has usually walked the path you’re on, and they save you from mistakes they already made. They pour into you patiently, over time. Find someone whose life you respect, not just their success.
I attribute a huge part of my growth to those who have gone ahead of me in whatever capacity. I know how to stalk, observe and learn from those who have walked the path I want to walk.
Find them, and make your journey light.
2. Coaches
This is not very popular in our environment. Most of us may have mentors but very few have ever heard of the work of a coach. A coach is different from a mentor. A coach isn’t necessarily ahead of you in life but they’re skilled at helping you get better at a specific thing. They ask you hard questions, push you, hold you accountable, and help you see your blind spots. You go to a coach when you want to sharpen a skill or reach a specific goal.
You can have a coach for your communication gap, your financial challenge, etc. If you want to develop a specific skill on your path, you need coaches. You need more than one, depending on the skill.
3. Sponsors
This one people often miss. A sponsor is someone with influence who speaks up for you in rooms you’re not in. These are the people who open doors for you, recommend you, vouch for you, put your name forward. A mentor may advise you but a sponsor goes beyond giving you advice to advocate for you. You need people like this who believe in you enough to use their own reputation on your behalf.
In my own life, in the organisations I have worked in, most of my mentors have gracefully been my sponsors. It is possible to have the same person as your mentor and sponsor, it is also possible not to have both in one person.
If your mentor is a senior person in the same organisation where you work, I’d advice that you do the best to make him or her your sponsor, especially if you want to rise higher in that organisation.
Whether you know it or not, promotions have some level of subjectivity. It is okay to work hard, but it is important to add sponsorship to your hardwork so that your hardwork will not be in vain. Enough said.
4. Prophets/Pastors
I didn’t talk about this in my last event. But as a person of faith, this has been a big factor in my journey. Whether you know it or not, we live in a spiritual world. No human is neutral. You are either of positive spirituality or negative spirituality. If you work in a corporate environment, you will be naive to think everybody is just natural or normal. You don’t know who has done something the night before you came to the office. You don’t know who has tied something on their waist.
Every leader needs a pastor. These are the people who speak into your spirit. They help you stay grounded, hear from God, and keep your character and faith intact while you’re chasing purpose. Success without spiritual covering can be empty, or worse, dangerous. Let someone speak truth to your soul, not just your CV.
2 Chronicles 20:20b Believe in the Lord your God; so shall ye be established. Believe His prophets; so shall ye prosper.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Pray to God to show you your pastor and believe in them. Just like your mentors, your coaches and your sponsors, they have a role to play in your journey.
5. Friends
Finally, friends. The ones who just love you. Not for what you’re building or where you’re going, but for who you are. Your true friends are the ones who celebrate with you without envy, and sit with you in hard seasons without judging you. Everyone needs a few people who let them just be human.
There will be times when the road will be rough and tough, you need co-travelers to be there for you.
Here’s the truth: you don’t need a hundred people. You need the right five kinds of people, even if it’s just one person filling each role. Take stock of your circle. If you’re missing one of these, go and find it.
I’m rooting for you,
Great Owete