Week Three

Jordan Floyd
Sep 4, 2018 · 7 min read

Assignment One: Create a chart of all the things that Athena does for Telemachus to help him prepare to become head of his household and king of Ithaca. For each item on your list, explain to what extent it could be replicated by a young person searching for a mentor today.

Athena states her intention of mentoring Telemachus- You could state your intentions to yourself, friends, teachers, guardians that you are seeking a mentor and be observant of people who show off the qualities you hope to obtain.

Athena showing hospitality- Telemachus first shows compassion and heart when realizes a stranger was unattended so a younger person can be nicer, more compassionate, and considering to those who they might overlook.

Athena questions Telemachus asking if he is really supposed to be a leader- Question the people you are considering should be your mentor. Do they have the qualities of a great mentor? What do they bring to the table? Are they willing to do what it takes to be a great mentor?

Assignment Two: Listen to The Art of Leadership podcast featuring Susannah Wellford, the president and founder of Running Start (link here) and read this blog post on the outsider as leader.

  1. What kind of leadership traits does Ms. Wellford exhibit in this conversation? How does she come across as a leader?

Ms. Wellford exhibits leadership qualities in the interview by fully listening to the host and making sure to answer every part in a clear and concise way. She admits her faults in the past but frames them in a way that shows that it was a lesson rather than a mark of her character — which shows more about her character. During the interview you can hear in her voice how she was really analyzing her actions and the actions that she has observed.

2. How does the mentorship program that she has established with Running Start resemble the mentoring that Telemachus receives in the Odyssey.

The mentorship program shows the girls involved that they must find their own voice and use that as a way to become a better leader. Ms. Wellford stated that she believes that public speaking is a transformative action and is more than just any other tool in the toolbox. I feel like this resembles Telemachus’ journey because he had to practice being the king by first addressing the suitors in the palace. The repeated exposure to commanding a room and convincing people to do what you want is an important task that a leader needs. She also practices holding an assembly with the girls by allowing them to speak on an issue that they are compassionate about to multiple people. Running Start also instills in their girls that they do have the power to be political leaders and to think of it as something that they can not only achieve but master. The same thing is given to Telemachus by Athena.

3. What answer would you give to the question Ms. Wellford asks at the end of the interview?

Ms. Wellford asks if we are up to the job of being a leader and what is the everyday reassurance that we need to continue that. I think I am up to the job of being a leader but it is going to come with a lot of work. I do feel like reminding yourself that you are a work in progress and that every mistake should be seen as something you can grow from helps with everyday progress. Knowing that in order to move forward significantly there are times where you may regress but you have to work through it.

Tuesday, August 4th 2018

Today in class we went over the assignment we had over the break. This session brought talked about Athena’s mentorship and compared it to the mentorship of Ms. Wellford. We saw how even though the things that Athena did for Telemachus were often mystical, there are realistic actions that mentors in reality could provide for us. What I contemplated most about this session was the idea that people would accept mentorship and be a mentor also. I always thought you had to be as close to perfect as humanly possible in order to be a good mentor for someone. When Ms. Wellford said that she had encouraged the girls in her mentorship program to mentor other girls it did seem like a good idea since they were closer in age than an adult and had just recently gone through the struggles they are about to face. It also expanded my idea of the ideal mentor. A mentor doesn’t have to be a wise elder because that might not be what you need. I also wondered if I could have been a mentor for other and I missed the opportunity.

Wednesday, August 5th 2018

When looking over the assignment for Thursday, I realized that I am at a better position to tell you what type of mentor I need than I was at the start of class. My mother always told me I need to find someone to mentor me but her suggestions would always be a person that was convenient to me and I never thought that was necessarily right. Now that I have examples of good leadership, I realize what I want out of a mentor and what I need from that person. In high school, I never thought I needed a mentor because I was always at the top of my classes and was used as an example for others. I thought I didn’t need help because I was already the best. That changed however when I first started seeing signs of depression junior year and became less involved. That pattern has continued to this day and now I see how helpful it would be to open up to someone outside my situation to seek guidance from about becoming the best again.

Assignment:
Write a plan in 500 words for finding the mentor you need at this point in your life:
What kind of leader do you feel like you need to become? Why do you believe you need this kind of mentor (consider your responses to last week’s survey on the leadership scenario)?
What specific leadership behaviors do you feel you need to cultivate?
What do you want your mentor to do for you?
What do you need to do to prepare for mentorship?
What will you do to find a mentor?

To find a mentor, I must realize first what type of mentorship I need. At this point in life, I am very confused on many thing. If it is one thing I know, it is that I am lost. I have many things going in my life towards improving myself but I do lack the guidance and support from a mentor. I want to become a more confident and risk-taking leader. I would also hope to gain more perspective on other cultures and practices. I wish to gain access to opportunities in the international affairs career realm and also guidance in fine tuning what I actually want to do as a career. I want to also know how to deal with continuing to improve myself when I am dealing with depressive episodes. I also wish to improve my leadership skills when working with others. I often seek out the opinions of a group regarding every situation instead of realizing that I do have the potential to have the best idea and I do not necessarily need to hear out every person’s idea just to not take it. I want my mentor to be someone who has a career in international affairs and is confident enough in their job to take it to the next level whenever possible. I would hope that my mentor be well traveled and truly have learned different things from their travel that they incorporate in their everyday life and their job. I want a mentor that is willing to seek out internships, study abroad opportunities, and finding connections I could make that would help me get insight on different jobs in the field. This is more of a wish than a need but I would like for my mentor to either have experience with depression, rather it be personally or dealing closely with someone who has it. This is important because the way I deal with things are different. I’ve dealt with people who have thought that I just simply wasn’t trying and ignoring every other sign that lead to something actually being wrong. I don’t like to say it aloud because frankly it’s not everyone’s business and me disclosing doesn’t mean that they would change their approach with me or understand me anymore. So instead of making that a requirement, I would much rather say that I need a mentor who is observant and aware of the feelings of others. Along with that, I would like to have a mentor who has the more collaborative approach when it comes to leadership so that they can help me refine my ways of leadership. To prepare for my mentor, I have to make sure that I am fully committed to wanting to improve myself and that I am willing to follow through with the advice given to me. I have been in a slump lately but I believe that I am ready to be productive towards my future. I feel like I already have two potential mentors in mind. For my career goals, I have a teacher who I know has done pretty much everything in the field of International Affairs. I have gotten an A in both classes I have had with him and he knows my face. For the other mentor I have in mind, he is also in the political science department and I have a stronger relationship with him. I feel like I could talk to him more about the leadership I want to achieve because his class is based on collaborative efforts. In order for me to get the mentorship I want from these two teachers, I must first build a relationship with the both of them, be sure of my choices and state my intentions of being their mentee.