I was pleased to be invited by the Invisible Mentor to write a 4-part blog post series discussing my ideas/experience with regard to the relevance of Mentorship Programs in the current corporate climate. Much of what I write reflects learning gained from ongoing mentorship program coordination and participation:

http://theinvisiblementor.com/mentorship-program-relevance-today-rodger-harding/

On this important day I salute those remarkable women whose innate service-orientation drives their ability to observe, listen & intuit. Your preparedness to engage not only identifies what has to be done, but also inspires those who need to take the required action!  

International Women’s Day also provides the occasion to acknowledge all those who take the time to see, access, validate & and enable the potential of deserving women. 
My 3 decade career, served on 3 continents, has left me with little doubt that the human aspect of women leadership, bringing empathy, acceptance, flexibility and adaptability, is indispensable to the sustenance and advancement of the species! 

On a personal level, I am humbled by those women who see me for who I am…For understanding the coexistence of perfection & imperfection, strength & vulnerability, confidence & insecurity, wisdom & fallibility....!  

Thank you!

As a Canadian Opera Company super (extra) I am privileged during rehearsals to see Maestro Johannes Debus continually exhorting principals and chorus members to think about the meaning of the words they are singing – “the meaning brings the music to life…!” Technical music/vocal excellence is enhanced by expressing the underlying passion/drama of any particular libretto. 

So too in the business world, and any other walk of life, true passion can only really live itself out via the understanding, acceptance & embrace of the significance of our pursuits! Good leadership will recognize, access & accommodate individual/team passion in the pursuit of exceptional deliverables. Is the very concept of mentorship not based on this premise? 

If interested, listen to Maria Callas coaching Juilliard students:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNHPMGQkeGk  

Working with York University students has been an enriching aspect of my life for close on 16 years. I have more often than not found the label disability a misnomer… So many of the so-called learning disabled are fast thinkers, distinctly individual in their approach and wildly creative! These attributes are not easily accommodated in mainstream education and corporate life… Entrepreneurship oftentimes is the avenue for these young people to find true meaning and full expression of who they are.

The reciprocal leaning gleaned from student interaction over the years has been invaluable to me in my business – Across the societal landscape, understanding, articulating  and fully investing core competencies is the first step in finding a career fit!   

http://ylife.news.yorku.ca/2011/09/13/career-mentorship-program-inspires-students-with-learning-disabilities/

If a true leader is someone who has the ability to identify requirement, the courage to proactively engage & the smarts to formulate a workable solution, logically this person would automatically be, to varying degrees, at odds with the status quo and those who are content to go with the flow.

The key to meeting this challenge, as we know, is the ability to persuade, sell, influence and negotiate in order to overcome inherent resistance to change. Yet in the course of almost 2 decades of Leadership Training, Coaching & Consulting, I find it is this particular attribute that oftentimes frustrates real leadership deployment.  Innovative, different or exceptional thinking is, in the nature of things, in direct conflict with the beliefs, expectations, hopes and even the morality of the majority. How often are brilliant ideas ignored in favour of more digestible “what we know works” solutions? More...

Natalie Portman paid meaningful homage to brilliant director Darren Aronofsky, after receiving her Golden Globe award (Best Actress for her performance in The Black Swan): 

 "Every time we finished our takes, you would say, 'Now do this one for yourself,' and that gave me such beautiful inspiration as an actor to not just be amused, that I could create on my own as well.” 

This anecdote beautifully illustrates the role of a good mentor – Allowing or facilitating conditions for, the best in someone to shine through…! 

So too in business, a good leader, in striving to access maximum individual/team input, will create fertile ground for the seeds of creativity and innovation to flourish...