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This could be my winning ticket! Debbie thought. I'm sure a mentor from within the company would help solve the issues in my area. My mentor will probably be able to diagnose the problem and tell me how to fix it in a meeting or two. Besides, it might even look good in my personnel file to say that an executive mentored me.

An alarm went off in Debbie's mind: Today is the 28th! She looked at her watch. I've missed the informational meeting. But I can still fill out the application this weekend and submit it Monday morning, before the deadline.

Debbie gathered her things and headed for the exit. "Thanks for your help," she called to the librarian on her way out.

"Any time," the woman replied cheerfully. "Good luck!"


The Meeting

On Sunday morning, Debbie's husband, John, invited her to play tennis with friends, but she bowed out.

"Thanks for the invite, honey, but I don't want to miss the deadline for the mentoring program," she said before retreating to the back porch to work on the application. She was not surprised to find all the usual demographic questions, but there were quite a few personal questions as well, including some unexpectedly challenging ones
about why she wanted to be in the program. The final question was the one that made her really stop and think:

What is a leader?

Debbie suspected that a good answer to this simple, straightforward question would help her get into the program. She worked for quite some time trying to articulate her reply. She felt she should know the answer because being a leader had long been her primary career objective. Yet she had never given the meaning of leadership much thought. Her first few attempts were, by her own standards, awkward or simplistic:

A leader is the person in charge.

A leader is the person in the position that others report to.

A leader is a person who makes things happen.

Although Debbie believed there was truth in each of these, she was not satisfied. She had an uneasy feeling that there was a correct answer, but she didn't have a clue what it was. It was the same feeling she'd had when it first occurred to her that she might actually be part of her team's performance problems. Nonetheless, it was getting late, and the application needed to be submitted the next morning. Still uncertain, she finally wrote these words:

A leader is a person in a position of authority who is responsible for the results of those under their direction.

* * *

At her office on Monday morning, Debbie read over her application one more time and hit Send. Next, she headed to the Human Resources department to see what she'd missed from the orientation session. She was surprised but pleased to be greeted by the department director, Melissa Arnold.

"Hi, I'm Debbie Brewster, the director of corporate client services from the southeast sales region," she said, extending a hand.

"Yes, Debbie. It's good to see you again," Melissa replied as she shook her hand. "I believe we met at the company picnic a couple of years ago. Do you and your husband still play tennis?" Debbie was amazed. She didn't even remember the picnic from two years ago, let alone meeting Melissa there. How...no, why did she remember me
or that John and I play tennis? I don't even know what my team members do when they're not at work, much less remember their spouses' interests.

"You've got a good memory! Yes, we do still play, although not as much as we used to before I became a team leader. It seems as though I don't have as much time these days."

"What brings you to Human Resources so early on a Monday morning?" Melissa asked.

"I just applied to the mentoring program, but unfortunately, I missed the information session last week," Debbie explained. "I hope that doesn't hurt my chances of getting into the program.

"It shouldn't," said Melissa. "Why are you interested in having a mentor?"

"I just think that at this point in my career, I could use a fresh set of eyes to look at my team's performance."

Melissa frowned. "Our program isn't set up as a consulting arrangement. Its focus is more on the individual leader and your development. Maybe you need someone from our internal consulting division—"

"No," Debbie interrupted. "I guess I could have stated it better. I need some help. My first year in leadership has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. I think a mentor could help."

"Okay, we'll process your application and see if we can find a good fit. You'll get an email in two weeks advising you whether you've been selected to participate in the program at this time. If you're in, we'll let you know who your mentor will be."

Debbie felt hopeful. "Sounds great. Thank you for your time."

"My pleasure. I'm here to serve. Let me know if I can help in the future."

How odd that she would say her role is to serve', Debbie thought as she left. 'For goodness sakes, she's the head of Human Resources. Someone had better tell her that her role is to lead.

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