On Mentors (pt2)

On Mentors (pt2) 

Last week I wrote about the value of mentorship, and the impact it’s had on my career, particularly early on. Over the past few years however, as I’ve been running my own business and advancing in my own knowledge and competence, it’s been harder to find a single person who could act as a mentor across my interests. Instead, I’ve take a lot from multiple sources, and a lot of it hasn’t required a personal relationship with someone. 

Not everyone has access to a senior leader who can spare an hour each month for mentorship. Geography, industry constraints, or simple timing can make traditional mentoring relationships difficult to secure. But you don't need a single mentor to grow as a leader. You can build something even more powerful—a virtual board of advisors drawn from the best minds in leadership, accessible whenever you need them.

Podcasts, YouTube channels, and books from seasoned leaders offer something traditional mentorship often can't: concentrated wisdom on demand. While a mentor might share their experience once a month, you can learn from dozens of exceptional leaders every week, each offering perspectives shaped by different industries, challenges, and leadership styles.

The key is intentionality. Rather than passively consuming content, treat these sources as you would actual mentorship conversations. Choose leaders whose values align with yours and whose challenges mirror your own. If you're navigating your first project management role in engineering, seek out resources featuring construction leaders discussing team dynamics. If you're struggling with delegation, find the YouTuber or author who's mastered that specific challenge. This is easier than ever now with AI and search tools, where you can stipulate in detail what you do and don’t want. 

Start by identifying 3-5 "virtual mentors"—leaders whose content consistently resonates with your current challenges. Subscribe to their podcasts, follow their channels, or commit to reading their books. Then, engage actively. Take notes as if you were in a real conversation. Pause to reflect on how their advice applies to your situation. Write down specific actions you'll take based on what you've learned. 

Below is part of my bookshelf; the part where I go if I’m struggling with something, or I want to find an answer to a problem I’m looking at. 

The people on this range from academics, business people, military leaders and more. I’ve cultivated this over years, and can find answers on professional working knowledge (in my world of financial planning), leadership (culture, dealing with people, making decisions) and management (how to actually organise and run my business day to day). I can and do turn to these shelves regularly. 

Create a practice of regular "mentorship sessions" with yourself. I’ve been around long enough to know that whatever method I recommend won’t work for everyone, but for me, it’s listening in the car on my way somewhere; it’s typing notes into my phone when a thought strikes me; it’s taking a walk without music or outside stimulation just to let my head wander and see what I can come up with. Boredom is a wonderful thing when you can tap into it- take a walk and see what happens. 

You do however have to be deliberate, and work to embed something into your week. Absent a meeting in the calendar with a person that you have to attend, this approach can really help. 

Virtual mentorship also offers advantages that traditional relationships don't. You can "meet" with multiple mentors in a single week without anyone's calendar limiting you. You can revisit the same advice multiple times as your situation evolves. You can learn from leaders you'd never have access to otherwise—CEOs, industry pioneers, and thought leaders who've documented their wisdom specifically so people like you can benefit from it.

And here's something often overlooked: virtual mentors remove the hesitation many early-career leaders feel about "taking up someone's time." You can ask the same question fifty different ways by exploring various resources without guilt. And when you return to a resource, you’ll get something new from it; you’re not the same person you were the first time you read it. 

While face-to-face mentorship is valuable, it's not the only path to leadership development. In fact, the most successful leaders rarely rely on just one mentor—they build a constellation of influences. Your virtual board of advisors can be just as powerful, perhaps more diverse, and certainly more accessible. The wisdom is out there, waiting for you to claim it. Your only job is to show up consistently and apply what you learn. 

Next week I’m going to write about how AI has helped me develop this practice, and some ideas I’ll be exploring in future. If you’ve enjoyed this, please forward it to a friend or colleague. If there’ something you’d like me to write about, please reply and let me know. 

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