Great Mentors Are Farmers

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Back in 2009, one of the self-made millionaires in my Rich Habits Study called me. He was one of about five who knew they were part of a blind study I was doing. I would eventually call that blind study, the Rich Habits Study.

This self-made millionaire was the head of the currency trading desk for a very prestigious fortune 100 bank. He was worth about $5 million at the time I interviewed him for my Rich Habits Study. He called to let me know that he and his entire team of currency traders had been let go. Jokingly, he said, “You might want to remove me from your list of self-made millionaires.”

Back in 2009 big companies were letting go of thousands of employees every day in an effort to survive the Great Recession. I asked my self-made millionaire what he was going to do. He thought a minute and said, “I’ll probably relax for a month and then make some phone calls and do what I do at some other place.”

With such a horrible employment market, I expressed more than a little concern to him that he would find a job so easily.

A few days later he called me back to tell me that he would be starting work the following week at another large bank, helping to run their currency trading desk. He told me that after our previous call, he heard the concern and uncertainty in my voice and decided not to wait a month to start making calls.

I was frankly dumbfounded that in such a horrible economy he was able to get a job so quickly. He told me that he wasn’t at all surprised. He had mentored dozens of young people over his twenty years of being the head of a currency trading desk and that he helped many of his young mentees get better, higher paying jobs at some of his competitors. He also said that he stayed in close contact with almost all of his mentees over the years. Many of them attended his parties, weddings of his two daughters and other events.

His considered his mentees his friends and also his legacy. He cared about his mentees and did everything he could to improve their lives.

And, in return, his mentees cared a great deal about their mentor.

If fact, my self-made millionaire told me it only took one phone call to one of his mentees to land a job. That mentee happened to run a currency trading desk and was delighted to hire his old mentor.

This story made me realize the power of mentorship.

Great mentors are like farmers. They go to great lengths to cultivate mentees like a farmer goes to great lengths to cultivates his crops. Great farmers produce sturdy crops. Great mentors produce devoted and grateful mentees.

Tom Corley is an accountant, financial planner and author of “Rich Kids: How to Raise Our Children to Be Happy and Successful in Life”, Effort-Less Wealth, Change Your Habits Change Your Life, Rich Habits Poor Habits and “Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals.”