Mentors

Tonight I went into Boston to a reception being held for the alumni of my business school, Weatherhead School of Management, at Case Western Reserve University. That is a mouthful, isn't it? I graduated from there more than twenty years ago...yikes!!...with an MBA. My concentration was in marketing and finance. As it turned out, all my marketing classes were with one professor, Mohan Reddy. At the time he was not quite a professor yet, but he was one of those fantastic teachers that you never forget. Mohan recently became the Dean of the Weatherhead School. Thus the trip to Boston. I am setting up for a show in Providence tomorrow, and should have been home getting ready, but I had to take advantage of this opportunity to visit with Mohan.

I have not seen Mohan in more than fifteen years. But, what I learned from him, in school, and in contacts after I left school, has stayed with me. When I face a challenging business situation, it is not unusual for me to think about Mohan, and try and draw on some of the wisdom he imparted.

As I drove home tonight, I thought about how there are people in our lives, who have a profound impact on the way we view the world. What we learn from them, stays with us, beyond the time we are actually in contact with them. We carry that wisdom they have shared with us for the rest of our lives. A little voice in our head that can be a guidepost when we are stuck. They can be teachers, friends, co-workers, therapists, a parent.... Some come with baggage. But the exceptional ones are the ones that change us. They open up a door for us. They challenge us to go further than we might have thought we were able. Giving us a push when we need it. Celebrating our successes. Giving us encouragement to continue moving forward.

Off the top of my head, I can say I have had three people in my life who have played that role....one of them was Mohan. It is because of what I have learned from Mohan, and others, that I felt compelled to begin this blog, and begin to share some of what I have learned, and what I am continuing to learn. I hope you have had an inspirational teacher in your life, like Mohan. Someone that you would rearrange your schedule around in an instant, if you had a chance to meet up with them for a few hours. Everyone deserves at least one such person in their life.

True to form, he presented me with a few challenges tonight. The real challenge, finding a few more hours in the day to take those on, or at least begin to think about them. Weatherhead School is lucky to have Mohan as their Dean. And I am lucky to have had Mohan as a teacher. Thanks Mohan. And the other stuff will have to wait another six weeks or so.... Right now, I have some cranes to make!