Be an Excellent "Paul" and "Timothy"

Paul mentored Timothy in being a leader. Reflecting on this, we ask, "Who is/are my Paul(s)? Who is/are my Timothy(s)? All of us take on both of these roles, being a Paul and Timothy, whether we are aware of it or not. We are both leaders and followers. If you are a parent, you lead your children, but you also follow your own parents. If you are an employer, you lead your employees, but you also follow policy or a board or government regulations. If you are a class president, you are "Paul" to your classmates and a "Timothy" to your teacher adviser.

Here are some acrostics to help us become better mentors:

M - Make Time
They say love is spelled as T-I-M-E. The more time we spend on the one we are building up, the greater the bond. Time is so precious, that when given to someone , becomes a gift in itself. Have time for one-on-ones or a date.

E - Empathize
Empathizing is about listening and relating to another person's concern. We were created having 2 ears and only 1 mouth. The more we listen, the more we understand. As Covey would put it, "Seek first to understand, then be understood." Followed by Maxwell, he says, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

N - Nurture the Relationship
There has to be regularity. You don't sow a seed and water it only once and expect it to grow. The same as mentoring, it is a continuous process of "watering."

T - Trust Your Members
To empower is to trust. Allow them to make some 'mistakes' so they can learn from them. Just like a Dad teaching his kid to bike. He will let go of his hold and risk his kid to be outbalanced, but ready to catch him if he falls.

O - Obedience by example
We cannot demand them to be good followers, if we ourselves do not follow our "Paul."


R - Respect and Honor them
Even if you are their leader and can command authority, always maintain an atmosphere of respect. Honor them for a job well done. An environment that affirms one another greatly motivates one to do their best.

Some exemplify good qualities when they lead, but are poor followers to their own leaders. Yet some are already content to follow, and leave the leading to others.The challenge for us is to strive to become an excellent 'Paul' and 'Timothy' in school, work, family, and service.

"Where there is no guidance the people fall,but in abundance of counselors there is victory." Proverbs 11:14