The Tag Line might be a bit much, but paraphrasing Psychology Today’s description of an extreme narcissist does make me wonder; An “extreme narcissist [is] the center of [their] own universe.” In this “All about Me” world, what if we focused more on those successful people everyone seems to respect and love? Focus more on those successful individuals who not only had respect for their craft, but also celebrated those who appreciated, used, or witnessed what they did.
Whether you love or hate the Yankees, the 2014 Gatorade commercial saying goodbye to the ‘Captain,’ makes you appreciate those individuals who did it right; who handled their success in a manner that made you want them to succeed. Those who showed respect to everyone, not just those who was a part of their inner circle.
- Who were their Experienced and Trusted Advisers? Did they have a Mentor?
- Was there someone with more experience who helped them by sharing their knowledge and skills?
- Was there someone who they copied their approach, their mannerisms?
- Was there a person in their lives who helped them achieve their greatness?
Socrates said, “If a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it.”
Socrates Mentor was Plato as noted in the similarity Plato’s quote,
“All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else.”
Marc Benioff’s, CEO who started the multi-Billion-dollar Salesforce.com, came from Oracle and his mentor. Although they had early disagreements, Marc Benioff admitted “He is my mentor,” “He was our first investor and first board member. There is no one I’ve learned more from than Larry Ellison.”
Bill Gates Microsoft – Philanthropist has donated more than $26 Billion dollars causes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill Gates “…credits part of his success to his mentor, businessman and investor, Warren Buffet. During an interview with CNBC, Gates credited Buffet for teaching him how to deal with tough situations and how to think long-term.” The famous investor who states, “One word sums up our country’s achievements: miraculous.”
Jackie Robinson credits his older brother Matthew as his mentor and creating a love for athletics. Matthew Robinson won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash just behind Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Jackie Robinson said, “Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he’s losing; nobody wants you to quit when you’re ahead.”
Derek Jeter said about his mentor, Yogi Berra, “[He] shook hands with Babe Ruth, helped bridge the gap between Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle and won more World Series rings than all of them. That made him a treasured link to the Yankees’ past for Derek Jeter, who considered himself something of a student of franchise history.”
When his Mentor passed, Derek Jeter said, “To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time,” Jeter wrote on Wednesday in a post on his website, The Players’ Tribune.” To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me, he was a dear friend and mentor. MLB News
Some say Yogi’s greatest asset was his ability to deliver under pressure. This is the same they say about Derek Jeter.
Based upon the past, and based upon today, and until next Blog,
“Whose Your Mentor?”
Al McCormick
