Russ Shaw: Find a trusted mentor

Mentoring with tech-enabled businesses is pretty critical, because tech-enabled businesses move very quickly.

Hi, my name is Russ Shaw and this is my unskippable minute.

Earlier in my career I was the CEO of a later stage start-up. And I needed advice and perspective on how to manage and how to run my board of directors.

In terms of looking for a mentor, try and find somebody who can fill your blind spots.

A good mentor can also advise on life experiences, on both physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing. Many of the mentees I’ve had over the years maybe have respected that because a lot of times when they’re in their business, when they’re speaking with the board of directors, when they’re with their management team, they’re not really getting those questions - are you looking after yourself?

A mentor is really focused and should be focused on leadership qualities, and advising, the mentee if you will, on what it takes to become a more effective leader.

You can proactively seek a mentor. Starting with people that you know, that you’ve encountered, that you perhaps admire in terms of how they’ve done what they’ve done.

Ultimately a good mentor, you know, can dip in and out. They are to be called on but not there every day. You can design it and create it in a way that works for you.

It’s time-saving, it's constructive, it helps you to build a better business.