Being an advisor and mentor is a challenge. Does one expect to be publically recognized? Is being at the front of the photo important? At the end of it all, what constitutes success?
In several relationships and in a formal role where I am accountable, I am an advisor and mentor. The realities of the questions that come with being in this role haunt me every day. Regardless of my head tells me, my heart still challenges me to answer. I squirm, struggling to ignore the taunts, but the questions still remain.
As I listened to one that I am responsible for, I found my answer. It was never about being in the limelight, getting credit for one’s work. It is not about being present when my ideas and proposals are discussed and adopted. It is not about anything in this space. It is about helping another discover the potential that is within him/her self. It is about giving them the insight and tools that they can take and use in ways greater than you ever imagined! It is about embedded empowerment and releasing someone to be greater than s/he was.
I realized that “I panicked. ‘Out of sight, out of mind,’ I said. But you heard me say it, you heard and listened.” (Psalm 31.22) You heard, your embraced, and you did something wonderful with my best thoughts. In the end, I listened in wonder to something that was greater than I imagined.
In the role that I have been called to play, it is never about where things end up. It is all about the process. When two travel together, connected through shared values, different insights, and the willingness to collaborate, miracles are born. I realize that I am watching a birth in process. I do not know if the child will live. I do know that Hope is alive and kicking. Regardless of what happens, being a part of this is the heart of living. It is wonderfully intoxicating. Be warned; it also is a battle where not everyone wants you to win.
