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Top leaders look to their mentors for thought leadership

Sadia Corey VP, Client Development 28 June 2021

What do Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Ginni Rometty, and Jeff Bezos have in common? Besides being tech moguls, they have the ability to inspire and influence through active and pervasive thought leadership.

Of 100 high-level employees, 71% had a mentor during their careers.

Audiences of diverse thought look to leaders to pave new paths, to inspire not only through their tools and inventions but most importantly through their authentic ideas. They constantly need to be on the lookout for the next big idea, particularly in the competitive landscape of technology.

While these individuals are known for the names they created, Amazon, IBM, Tesla, Apple, and Microsoft, they still have found ways to identify themselves outside of the company, establishing distinct voices and brands of the individual.

However, when we think of these successful leaders, we often fail to see that it is rarely a solo effort. And while these leaders use a multitude of sources, bright minds helping to solve some of the world’s toughest problems, many have been inspired by thought leaders of the past.

Successful people take leadership guidance from other successful people by way of mentorship. Bill Gates was mentored by Warren Buffet. Bill Campbell coached several tech leaders, one of them being Steve Jobs. And Steve Jobs was known to have mentored Mark Zuckerberg.

Savanta wanted to understand if mentorship was being utilized among other individuals looking to be the face of their company or masters of thought leadership. Of 100 high-level employees, 71% had a mentor during their careers and 49% were mentors to someone else.

Many decision-makers rely on thought leadership from others to facilitate their own careers. Savanta found that the majority of high-level business leaders turn to their mentors for guidance, to supply them with deep business knowledge and experience.  Having mentors in your life that provide you with direction, will allow you to reach those future goals faster than doing it alone.

Consider thought leadership as being necessary for both the industry level and at a personal level.

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