I met with a mentor today over coffee and had one of the most refreshing, most encouraging conversations I’ve had over the last several months. This conversation differed dramatically from what most (including myself) would contend to be the standard structure of a mentorship meeting. Dr. Jackson asked multiple questions about my upcoming plans (more to come, I promise) and forced me to think through some issues that I may have paid lip-service to, but not really thought through.
That conversation helped me to begin to think through all of the benefits of transparency – all of the benefits of opening yourself up. In my knowledge and experience, I can think of 5 primary relationships that benefit me whenever I’m willing to open up. Over the next several days, I’d like to discuss the various relationships that prove to be so incredibly beneficial when we have the courage to be completely transparent.
Tomorrow, I’ll explore the most important relationship, but first, I’d like to open up the discussion by asking, “Who do you open up to most often? Who do you find it most difficult to open up to?”
