The Importance of Mentorship

user Trium
calendar

The importance of mentorship is perhaps demonstrated best by the following occurrence in nature. In a game park in Eastern South Africa, a nature conservancy discovered 36 dead rhinos. Not only was the loss significant to the park, but the manner in which the rhinos were killed was baffling: they appeared to have been trampled. Elephants were the likely suspects, but this mystified park rangers because elephants don’t normally kill rhinoceroses.

“As park rangers explored the mystery they discovered that indeed, young, male elephants were provoking confrontation with the rhinos and killing them. The behavior was very unusual and the park had no choice but to kill the offending elephants. When they did, the vicious attacks on the rhinos stopped and a state of peace resumed between the animals. Still, the question remained: what caused these elephants to behave so savagely and uncharacteristically in the first place?”

When rangers dug deeper, they learned that all of the offending elephants had been imported from another reserve as baby elephants and were without male role models. As a result, when they reached adolescence, there were no adult males for them to follow so they became juvenile delinquents of a sort without supervision or strong role models to teach them the ways of adulthood.

This behavior was an aggressive aberration for the elephants and points to the need for strong mentorship. Organizations where senior leaders behave like Warriors are destined to create next-level leaders that don’t understand the value of mentoring either, and the ultimate future of an organization becomes jeopardized by this cycle.

Back to TriumIQ

Let’s Talk

Contact Us

Trium IQ

It’s Your Weaknesses, Not Strengths, That Make You A Good Coach And Leader

One of the core adages in any coaching or advisory work is simply that “no one will…

Read

A Time to Serve

To serve when you yourself are in need is the ultimate act of leadership. The new year…

Read

VIDEO | UiPath CFO Ashim Gupta Reflects on Trium Coaching Sessions

UiPath CFO Ashim Gupta shares how Trium’s personalized coaching taught him to better connect with himself, connect with others, and meet challenges in a more mature and measured way.

Watch

The Reset Moment: How Downturns Create the Dynamics for Innovation and Transformation

We tend to think of economic cycles as peaks and troughs of good times and bad —…

Read

Why CEO Storytelling Matters Today More Than Ever

What connects the animal scenes painted on cave walls in France 30,000 years ago, the 4000-year-old Epic…

Read

Perspective and Choice

From the stillness of perspective, you get to choose the quality of your experience. It is the…

Read

Three Ways to Embrace Team Appreciation

For leaders who want to make appreciation a year-round habit, this season of gratitude offers us a…

Read

What Story Are You Telling?

Leaders who choose to see uncertainty as an opportunity will be leaders who preside over businesses that…

Read

The Power of Proximity: Why “Up Close and Personal” is The Best Leadership Strategy In Complicated Times

The Power of Proximity is not about whether we’re in the office. It has nothing to do…

Read

Five Tips to Foster a Culture of Appreciation

When’s the last time you openly celebrated the achievements of a team member? A week ago? A…

Read

Be a Step-Down Leader: A Radical, New Paradigm for Leading in Anxious Times

Your primary job as a leader – in your family, community, or career – is to lower…

Read

VIDEO | Lightspeed Venture Partners Partner, Arif Janmohamed: Trium’s Expertise Applied to Venture Capital Firms

Lightspeed Venture Partners Partner Arif Janmohamed shares how Trium applies its unique expertise to Venture Capital firms.

Watch

VIDEO | MX Interim CEO & President, Shane Evans: Coaching through a Leadership Transition

MX Interim Chief Executive Officer and President Shane Evans shares the impact of Trium’s coaching through his transition to CEO of the company.

Watch

VIDEO | Zoom COO, Aparna Bawa: Advice to Leaders Considering Engaging a Coach

Zoom Chief Operating Officer Aparna Bawa shares her advice for leaders considering engaging a coach to support their development.

Watch

If You Want to Survive a Downturn, Invest in Leadership

We are all starting to feel the effects of the downturn and I’ve seen a lot of…

Read