Get A Mentor, Already!

Do you have a mentor currently, and why is that important to you?

I would say mentorship is extremely important. Right now my executive coach serves as that mentor for me right now. But prior to that, Mr. Morton, who I talked to you about early on, who found me at Pierce was my mentor for several years until he passed. He was who I would speak to and call about anything, "Morton, I'm thinking about this. What do you think?" And he encouraged me, in fact, he encouraged me to take a job in Chicago. He said, "Kevin, you should go." So he was my mentor. Then I had another one named Sonny Hill, who was a mentor for me as well. But it's important have folks who you can bounce stuff off, who can help with their life experiences. And while they may not make the decision for you, they will help you think through what it is that you're trying to achieve, to help you get to a point where you feel comfortable. I've had a number of folks who've talked to me about being a mentor, and some I know that I have been, just helping them make decisions about their life and using my life experiences to help them understand what it is they can achieve on their own. But also just -- sometimes they just want to talk, just want to talk.

The mentors that you mentioned, I wonder what specific qualities or traits did you look for when you selected them as your mentor.

Well, Morton was obvious because he was somebody who I admired because of what he was able to do for young boys in South Philly. I thought the qualities that he had, he had high integrity, high character, he really truly cared about people. He wasn't egotistical, it wasn't about him. So that was what drove me to him. Sonny, who I still see now, really was a highly accomplished speaker, labor leader, basketball expert, and he did so many things in his life, that I was able to talk to him about how he accomplished that and what he did to do that. So he provided that kind of insight for me as well.