A Mentor Who Will Walk With You

Atul Tandon

10.28.20

When he transitioned to doing humanitarian work, Atul Tandon often struggled to adapt. He credits having good mentors as critical to making big changes like this.

A Mentor Who Will Walk With You

Summary:

When he transitioned to doing humanitarian work, Atul Tandon often struggled to adapt. He credits having good mentors as critical to making big changes like this.

Thuy

So you said the first three years of the transition were hardest for you. What advice do you have for those who perhaps are letting their fears or doubt hold them back from chasing their dreams?
Atul_Tandon

Atul Tandon

My advice would be, one, don't doubt yourself. Go for it. Two is find yourself some good mentors who can walk with you along the way. And I had that great friend, frankly, fortune is when I made the transition, the person I was working for at that time, Rich Stearns, you know, he himself had come from the private sector. He had been a CEO of Lenox, of a China company. And he had made that transition. So he and I could walk together, and so the lessons that I was learning and the struggles I was having were not new to him. And he could see beyond that. And, you know, those early lessons and his willingness to invest in me, frankly, was, I would say it was and still is one of the principal reasons for any success I have had.
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