As a successful business executive, entrepreneur, and host of the “Thirty Minute Mentors” podcast, Adam Mendler believes leadership is all about bringing out the best in others. He learned that at an early age when he naturally took on roles in school as class president, then coaching youth basketball and later as captain of teams in college. What he quickly realized is that while he was never the best athlete, he had a knack for rallying his classmates and the team to get things done.
Along with humility, Mendler has learned that stronger leaders are great listeners and continuously add value. “The best leaders recognize that as successful as they are, they don’t have all the answers,” Mendler says. “They’re asking great questions, being inquisitive and taking a step back – listening – and it all goes from there.”
Mendler has learned that we all face setbacks every day that can help us learn and grow stronger. We all make many mistakes in life, he says, but it is hard to live with regret. We should take the time to reflect on those moments and learn from those mistakes. Mendler remembers when he decided to leave a prestigious corporate job to launch his own business. Within a couple years, he had burned through his savings with no profit in sight. He admits that he and his business partners were not focused. He took time to step back, identify two key areas to monetize, and relaunch the business with greater success. “It’s from the setbacks that you learn to move forward,” Mendler says.
Mendler believes we must overcome our fears. He says many people are afraid of things that they shouldn’t be afraid of. “My first piece of advice … is that if you’re feeling fearful or afraid, take a step back, ask yourself, ‘Why am I afraid? What am I afraid of?’” Once you do that, Mendler explains, you realize that too many of us tend to create these fears in our minds without understanding the consequences of failing. In most cases, he says, it’s no big deal.
Mendler explains that many of these fears are grounded in expectations that we have for ourselves, and that other people have for us, such as our family, friends, or mentors. “It’s important to develop a sense of clarity to where you’re going and what you’re doing,” Mendler says, particularly since he didn’t feel fulfilled in his job. He explains that if he had stayed in his old job, he wasn’t on the path to do his best work or to positively impact other people.
One of Mendler’s keys to success is ensuring that each person takes the time to create their own definition of success. “My definition of success is that I want to live a life where I can add value to anyone that I am interacting with,” Mendler says, “If I can uplift people in a meaningful way that’s important to me, that’s how I dedicate my energy.”
Mendler also recognizes that some of us make the mistake of spending too much of our time trying to become our mentors. “Don’t try to be the second-best version of anyone else, but be the best version of yourself,” Mendler says, “Find your own unique voice and go with it.”
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You can also listen to Adam’s podcast Thirty Minute Mentors here and read his “Leadership Lessons” blog for Thrive Global.