Mentors do not have to be perfect.

If you prefer a 3-minute video to reading this, or you have a friend or loved one that needs to hear this, but won’t read a blog post, here is a short video from my YouTube podcast that summarizes the message for them.

I was speaking to a mentee of mine yesterday, and she was struggling with a mentor who was not living up to her ideal image of what a leader assigned to her should be like. It reminded me of this lesson from Shane Parrish’s book Clear Thinking and how he reflects on some advice from thought leaders like Jim Collins around our assumption that mentors must be perfect.

Here is what Co-Pilot summarizes them saying:

Jim Collins emphasizes that we can choose our board of directors and mentors, even if our biological parents still need to provide the desired guidance.

Taking control of our lives means consciously selecting mentors who align with our values and can guide us toward personal growth and success.

In a follow-up conversation with Shane Parrish, Jim Collins discusses what being a mentor and a father…