A founder with a great idea and the will to see it through can move mountains. But even the most capable founders often need a helping hand to overcome barriers to building a business. 

THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF MY JOB IS MENTORING the next generation of entrepreneurs as they build tomorrow’s great companies. Working with these energetic men and women renews my optimism about our future and that’s reason enough for serving as a mentor.

As a longtime proponent of mentoring, I believe that seasoned veterans of my generation are duty-bound to guide up-and-coming leaders. I’m grateful for my mentors, past and present, who’ve been instrumental in helping me navigate the mercurial cycles that span a career in business. In turn, it’s my responsibility to lend a hand to young founders grappling with the formative challenges of business building.

Mentoring doesn’t always guarantee successful outcomes for our mentees, but with the right approach, they’re likelier to succeed and, in any case, we can help them to put their triumphs and setbacks in a helpful perspective.

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MENTORING CAN TAKE MANY FORMS. For me, what works best is an inquiry-style approach aimed at empowering the mentee to discover novel ways of thinking about their issues.

This requires attentiveness, patience and certainly inquisitiveness. It’s less about giving advice and more about guiding their discovery. It sounds like a threadbare cliché but it’s true: pose thoughtful questions and listen skillfully.

Encouraging them to notice what’s going often sparks fresh thinking. Helping them to re-frame issues can foster clarity, while also instilling confidence in their own problem-solving capabilities.

It’s paramount to recognize each mentee’s unique talents and perspectives. At a minimum, what’s required of us as mentors is to be kind, respectful, and self-aware while being open to whatever develops.

The privilege of serving as a mentor carries special responsibilities. For me, the rewards far outweigh the costs. Each experience broadens my perspective and enables me to become a more skillful mentor and a better practitioner.

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Suggested reading: HBR 2015 piece: “CEOs Need Mentors, Too”.