Organizations invest heavily in mentor programs to develop young leaders and guide individuals with their careers. While mentors can be helpful, it is inevitably not sufficient for an aspiring individual in their development.
It is simple to have someone to tell us what we should do and how we need to behave. Yet, how is that of any help when the advisor does not practice what they preach?
How much more valuable is it to have role models? These are the people who do not need to tell us what we should do since it is evident by their actions what is desirable and who we should aspire to emulate. While there may be fewer, encourage the role models to stand up, and should we fail to have many among the ranks, we may want to revisit our organization’s values and who we keep on board.
