Mentorship: What Do I Need To Be Coached on?

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is: 

What do I need to be coached on?  

Surrounding yourself with great people, coaches, teachers, and mentors is essential to becoming the best version of yourself.

But before any of that, you need to be honest with yourself and ask: 

What should I not need to be coached on?

Understanding this is critical to owning your 40.  

Do you need your boss to motivate you to finish your work on time?  Do you need your coach to constantly remind you to give your best effort? Does your attitude lift people around you up, or drag them down?

If you need your mentors to motivate you to give your best effort, maintain a good attitude, or hold yourself accountable, you are wasting their time and yours.

I want to repeat that. 

If you need your mentors to motivate you to give your best effort, maintain a good attitude, or hold yourself accountable, you are wasting their time and yours.

For example, when writing this article, I could ask a mentor to proofread and give feedback on how to improve it.  But I should not rely on my mentor to ask me, “Have you started writing it yet?”

This does not mean that your mentors cannot help you in these areas.  They can encourage you to work harder. They can challenge you to push past your perceived limits. They can inspire you to do things you never thought possible.

But as the 50-40-10 framework states, mentors are there to enhance our talents and work ethic, not replace them.  To achieve your greatest potential, you must take ownership of your attitude, effort, and accountability.  This allows you to maximize your mentor’s time and energy by learning new skills, receiving constructive feedback on work you have done, and gaining different perspectives that can accelerate your growth.

When your mentors, coaches, teachers, and parents no longer need to spend energy motivating your attitude, effort, and accountability, they can spend that energy helping you focus on what truly matters:

Becoming the best version of yourself.

This is when you Own Your 40.