Mentoring Insights

I have been thinking about mentoring for some time. I was excited to see this book, which really expanded upon a chapter of his very excellent book, Off-Road Disciplines. Reverse Mentoring by Earl Creps is a handbook that I will keep on my current reading bookshelf for reference.

When I was in business a few years ago and trying to understand the internet and how it would eventually impact our business model, I would often engage young men and women in conversation about various aspects of the net and quickly it was apparent that my thoughts were geared to the economic business model and their perspective was a community or social model. That is a big difference. Depending on where you start in the conversation you can find yourself in the center of the action or way out in left field. Earl provides “road signs” along the way of this whole R-Mentoring process.

In Reverse Mentoring, Earl points out that many, either do not want to push themselves out of their comfort zone or are fearful of looking like they are stupid about things that are intuitive to the rising generations. Any hope of maintaining relevance depends upon allowing ourselves to be mentored by young men who are wise about things that with every passing day we run the risk of becoming obsolescent. Earl has done a good job of putting in one volume principles and ideas that will serve those of us who have a desire to speak into the hearts of the next generation by allowing to them to speak into our hearts. This guide book is like a manual for someone who is about to engage in foreign missions.

Earl was gracious to use some quotes of mine from a blog entry I wrote on this topic. As I said in that entry, “Every day I get a little more disconnected unless I intentionally work at staying connected.” (p21) Further as I said when we allow ourselves to be transparent to the next generation it is “easy to think that things change so rapidly just to keep me [us] off balance or on the edge of the conversation.” (p78) This is rarely the case, though we must exercise some common sense, there probably some things that we should allow to be exclusively their domain – no need to look stupid trying to be something we are not. I really do believe that the story of Elisha and Joash in 2 Kings 13 provides a glimpse of inter-generational strength and wisdom working together. I summarized that interaction as follows, “Young and old, old and young working together taking advantage of the strengths that both have to offer…I am willing to submit to the next generation to learn from them the things I should and trust that I will be able to impart the few things I have gleaned in living life. Life on life investing in the lives of a few. What could one give himself to that would compare to this?” (p183)

Throughout the book, Earl provides real world illustrations of how R-mentoring might work itself out for those who have the desire to join in this exciting endeavor. For me the principles in this book are working themselves out in my life as I allow Carson Peterson, Jason Rodriguez, Lane Moon, Brad Wolfrom, Scott Hamilton, Martin Elvington and Eugen Cozonac to speak into my heart and have the permission to challenge me when necessary. In the short time that I have been with these men, they are shaping me and equipping me to maintain connectedness in this very dynamic world in which we live. When I press them, they return the favor and they are fast becoming my friends.

One of my big takeaways from this very important book, is that we must take this challenge, and if we are to be successful we must allow humility to temper our interactions with the next generation. Earl has done us a great service. I trust this book will find its way into the hands of men and women who will rise to the call issued by Earl to engage in the conversation, to run with the herd and experience the excitement of embracing those things that excite the next generation. When we find ourselves at that point we may then have the privilege of speaking into their hearts when their souls are in the grip of fear. Life on life, there is no bigger nor better call.
Rating: 4 / 5