8 Mentoring Sessions You Can’t Afford to Miss

Prologue Two Years Ago … Things were not going well.  For several years, I had been a relative- ly successful manager for a Fortune 500 company, but now I was in a  slump.    I  was  working  harder  than  I  ever  had,  but  I  was  going nowhere.  I barely saw my kids.  My marriage was suffering.  My health was not the best.  I was struggling in every part of my life. At work, my team was also feeling the effects of my slump. People were upset.  Business was slow — real slow — and the pressure on us  to  improve  performance  was  rapidly  hitting  the  “unbearable” level. To be honest, I was ready to give up, because my doubts about my  leadership  abilities  were  overwhelming  the  confidence  I  once had. My questions outnumbered my answers. What if I wasn’t the right person for a leadership position anymore?  What if I had been suc- cessful in the past because of the great economy? What if I was just extremely lucky? I was at a loss. I was at the point where I needed to talk to someone — someone who would listen and offer suggestions without judging me. One Saturday on the golf course, I saw a friend of my dad's named 9

Tony Pearce. Tony was a successful, semi-retired business leader who spent his time writing books and coaching top executives. I’m still not sure of his age.  He looked only a few years older than I, but he was definitely light years ahead in experience. Success had not changed Tony one iota. His warm personality, ath- letic good looks and charismatic personality were already legendary around our community. Before his retirement, Tony was a “turnaround specialist,” someone who was able to rescue companies from bankruptcy and lead them to  profitability.  He  had  been  honored  twice  by  various  national organizations as “Entrepreneur of the Year” and was currently serv- ing on a business council to develop a code of integrity for business executives. During the course of his career, Tony had made millions. He was highly respected in the community because he gave so much of his time and money to help others. His integrity and ethics were above reproach.   My grandfather would have called him “a real gentleman.” My father had the utmost respect for Tony and had often called upon him to serve as a sounding board during his own business career. Tony was the type of person I aspired to be — wise, respected, con- fident and a highly sought-after speaker and mentor. But right now I was a long way from becoming the person I wanted to be. When  I  graduated  from  college, Tony  wrote  me  a  congratulatory note that — for some unknown reason — I never threw away: Monday Morning Leadership 10

Tony had not seen me at the golf course, and it had been a few years since we had talked.  I wondered if he would even remember me if I called him.  I also wondered if he would take the time to meet with me since he was in such high demand by executives of major corpo- rations all over the country. After debating whether or not to call him, I finally decided that I had nothing to lose. My life was careening out of control and something needed to change. Prologue 11

I made the call. A little nervous as I dialed Tony’s number, I also was afraid that he wouldn’t remember me and there I'd be…feeling like a fool. Even if he did remember me, a few years had gone by and a lot had changed since he had sent me that note.  Maybe his offer was no longer on the table. When he answered the phone, it only took a few seconds for my nerves to settle down and my fear to disappear. As soon as I said “This is Jeff Walters,” he immediately knew who I was.  He asked how Mom was doing since Dad passed away, and then he said he was honored that I would call. I found it ironic that he used the same word — honored — that he had used in my graduation letter years ago. “What a coincidence,” I remember thinking after we had finished our conversation. After some catching up, I reminded Tony of his note from several years ago. I told him I was having some challenges at work and that I would like his advice…if he was still willing to talk with me. After explaining some of the problems I was encountering, he agreed to work with me only if I would commit to two things: 1.   Tony said that he was not interested in helping me solve my problems.  He was interested in helping me become a better person and leader and that would require spending some sig- nificant time together.  If I would commit to meeting with him every Monday morning for eight weeks, he would be glad to help. Monday Morning Leadership 12

2.   Tony also asked me to commit to teach others the lessons and experiences that he would be sharing with me. He said none  of  my  problems  were  unique  and  that  others  could learn from my experiences. I was elated Tony consented to work with me, one-on-one, for eight weeks. I asked if we could meet on Fridays instead of Mondays, but he said his schedule would not allow that. So, I agreed to both of his requirements.  “After  all,”  I  rationalized,  “if  the  Monday  Morning Meetings don’t go well, I can somehow gracefully bow out of the rest of the sessions." As it turned out, those eight meetings — my “Monday Mornings with Tony” — were the best meetings I have attended in my life. The thought  of  “gracefully  bowing  out  of  the  sessions”  never  again crossed my mind. As far as my second commitment — to teach others — that is my reason for writing this book. I  am  honored  you  are  investing  your  time  in  reading  “Monday Morning Leadership” and ask you, in turn, to teach others the wis- dom Tony shared with me. Enjoy the journey, apply what you learn, and continue to grow as you share my Monday mornings with Tony. Prologue 13