April 2025 PRSA Dallas Letter from the President
Posted by admin on Apr. 2, 2025 / Subscribe 0
Are you a mentor? Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as a mentor, is there anyone in your life who might call you one?
I recently went through a two-day leadership workshop where part of the time was spent understanding my personality. I took the Enneagram test and learned my highest score was as a type 2, the Helper. My second and third highest scoring types sounded much cooler: the Challenger and the Achiever.
The workshop leader encouraged me to take a step back and look at key moments throughout my life. This is what I saw: tennis instructor and academic tutor in high school, mission trip leader in college, Big Brother while in grad school, construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity in Alabama, and writing coach while living in Los Angeles.
I like to help. And I especially like to help others help themselves.
Throughout my career in public relations, I’ve tried to take the time to talk through problems, strategies, outcomes, and even suggested tactic edits with my colleagues. Sure, there are times when I want to just do it myself… And I guarantee there are times when someone just wants me to answer their question and not teach a lesson or start a discussion, but I’m trying to invest in the person and not the news release or the video.
The word mentor comes from Homer’s poem, “The Odyssey.” When Odysseus left for Troy, he tasked an old man named Mentor to act as a guardian to his infant son, Telemachus. It turned out Mentor was horrible at his job, and Telemachus grew up lacking confidence and courage in the absence of his father.
When word spread that Odysseus was lost at sea and presumed dead, his kingdom came under siege. The goddess Athena, who had a soft place in her heart for Odysseus, disguised herself as Mentor and counseled Telemachus to find his father and outsmart his enemies.
You may not think of yourself as a mentor, but we all have people in our lives who we hold influence over. They may be a younger sibling, child, friend, or coworker. The influence you have puts you in the position to be a mentor, and it’s up to you whether you want to be like Mentor, the failed guardian, or MENTOR, the goddess of wisdom who empowered young Telemachus to succeed.
On April 17, we are bringing back Pro-Am Day to provide opportunities for students to be matched with professionals for a half-day of shadowing and learning. If you haven’t already signed up to be involved with Pro-Am Day, I hope you will consider it.
Just remember that you can have a college student silently follow you for several hours, or you can teach them what your day is like and why you love PR. And you can invest in them as they prepare to take their first steps into our industry.
Be a MENTOR.
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