Whose Success Is More Important

I was recently convicted that I am here for others and not them for me.  Philippians 2:3-4

As a teenager I worked at a retail store. I thoroughly enjoyed selling and built a great client base. There were students that I dressed all the way through High School. One thing that I did consistently that, though it got me in trouble with the storeowner, helped me build a loyal customer base. If a customer came to the shop looking for something particular and we didn’t have it, rather than trying to sell them something different, I would call my friends working at other stores to help the customer locate the item they were looking for.

I think this is the kind of attitude the author of “Be More Loyal to your Mentee than you are to your Company” wanted us to embrace when he said,

“Studies show that even the best-designed mentoring programs are no substitute for an authentic, collegial relationship between mentor and mentee. You need a baseline chemistry with your mentee, and you must have their best interests at heart — even if those interests aren’t the same as the company’s. Of course, it would be great if your mentee wanted to sustain a long career at your organization, but it’s more important to help them discover their strengths and passions and the best place to apply both. When counseling your mentee on career decisions, encourage them to find their calling whether it’s at your company or somewhere else. In fact, this is the best way to inspire commitment.”  A. K. Tjan in Harvard Business Review.

As we invest in the lives of students are we more concerned about what is best for them or what grows my ministry? This is a question that I must ask myself regularly.