Mentor of The Month

The Executives’ Club of Chicago honored me as Mentor of the Month in their September newsletter, much to my delight. I have served as a mentor for members of the club’s New Leaders’ Circle for over five years, mentoring both individuals and groups of young executives. This has been one of the most satisfying parts of my experience with the ECC. Conversations with the young leaders range over a wide variety of topics, from developing strategic thinking skills to demonstrating executive presence to selecting top talent for their organization. Not only do I get an opportunity to share my knowledge and perspective, but I am simultaneously learning from my mentees, whose intelligence and energy is an inspiration. Working with young leaders has convinced me that people who are wringing their hands about the younger generation are missing the boat. While every generation has its share of low-achieving people, the talent of this new crop of young leaders constantly amazed me . Most of them are smart, incredibly hard-working, and fearless. Spending time with them keeps my thinking from petrifying. As the old song says, “It is hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind if you’re young at heart.” Excerpt from Executive Club of Chicago's September announcement: