Why Mentorship Is Important: Lessons From the Influential MentorSample

Mentors Observe

John 1: 38-39 is a powerful passage where the first two disciples get a first glimpse of Jesus’ character. To the disciples of John, he asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?” It’s interesting because Jesus knew exactly what they wanted, yet what Jesus wanted from them is to verbalize their deepest desire. He wanted to hear it from them. One aspect of mentoring well means being able to observe what God is doing in the person that he has called you to mentor and help them discover it on their own. Mentoring becomes powerful by the questions that you ask your mentee. For the people that God has called you to make an investment in, engage with them with questions. It’s in the questioning that the person will be able to speak out loud what God is doing in their life.

When I reflect on the life of Howard Hendricks, he didn’t speak much when talking to people in private. In fact, it was something that amazed me during my research and writing of his life. Hendricks would ask questions, then allow the person that he was mentoring to answer, and often, according to those traveling with him, they would spend the entire ride answering the question he had asked them. In fact, to many of the men who I interviewed for the book, it was in the answering of the question, that they wouJohn 1:38-39 is a powerful passage where the first two disciples get a glimpse of Jesus’ character. To the disciples of John, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” This is interesting because Jesus knew exactly what they wanted. In His question, Jesus was asking them to verbalize their deepest desires. He wanted to hear it from them. One aspect of mentoring well means being able to observe what God is doing in the person that He has called you to mentor and help them discover it for themselves. In mentoring, the questions that you ask your mentee can have a powerful effect. Engage the people that God has called you to invest in with questions. It’s in the questioning that the person will be able to speak out loud what God is doing in their life.

Howard Hendricks didn’t speak much when talking to people in private. It was something that amazed me during my research and writing of his life. Hendricks would ask questions, then allow the person that he was mentoring to answer, and often, according to those traveling with him, they would spend the entire ride answering the question he had asked them. In fact, for many of the men I interviewed for the book, it was in answering the question that they would find what they needed for a breakthrough, to make a decision, or to uncover the answer to a difficult issue.

In John 1:38-39, the passage says they stayed all day with Him. Can you imagine being so intrigued with someone or something that you would stay all day with them? In mentoring well, it’s the mentor’s role to observe what the mentee can become and help that person uncover it themselves.

When I reflect on my time with Mr. Hunter, he would ask a lot of questions of me, while at the same time showing me what it meant to be a godly man. It’s interesting to me that I don’t remember a lot about what he said, but I do remember observing his life enough to know that I wanted more of it.

Will you be the man or woman that God has called you to be so that the one you are mentoring will be able to observe what God is doing in your life?