Why Leaders & Mentors are Important for Activism and Change
Mentoring Matters Live is a monthly live show where we highlight mentors across the globe. Our mentors are here to share their wisdom and provide insight on how you can grow personally and professionally to be a great leader.
Carmen White Janak is a friend, colleague, mentor and one of the most extraordinary and dynamic leaders and human being that I’ve ever known. And I know that I am a better person for knowing her and I was absolutely honored to have her as a guest on Mentoring Matters. Carmen gets real quick and shares her incredible story of growing up after losing her dad and learning at an early age that it’s ok to get help. When we asked her why mentors and leaders are important for activism and change, she shared some powerful key learning points.It’s ok to ask for help- Carmen’s mom paved the way to understanding and living the motto that it’s ok to ask for help. Her mom sought out a therapist for her when her dad passed away at a young age. This sent Carmen a positive message and allowed her to welcome support through her life and career. Not only did her therapist help with issues she was dealing with, she ended up influencing her life’s work that she shares with others day.
We need teachers to inspire us- No matter where you’re at with your life and career, you can always learn from a teacher. Teachers are all around us. Carmen emphasized the fact that successful leaders don’t create by ourselves. We need teachers to inspire us, who see our ideas and say yes, AND! This Yes AND mentality inspires us at any stage to keep growing and moving forward.
Mentors help us overcome hurdles that we may not even know exist- We need mentors to help navigate our way around pitfalls, but sometimes we aren’t even aware that these challenges exist. Mentors tell you how it is and open your eyes to things you don’t always see yourselves. We don’t know, what we don’t know so mentors are our guide.
Carmen is a leader and facilitator in the diversity, inclusion, and equity field across multicultural and multi-ethnic ecosystems. She is ebullient, enigmatic, frank and often challenges us to talk about the tough stuff. For more information about Carmen, visit her website here: https://carmenwhitejanak.com
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