Current Thinking Column
Aspen Family Business Group
Over the last few months, I’ve been finalizing the write up for a study on mentoring relationships between family members. Based on my findings, I believe familial mentoring relationships are very similar to the act of a craftsperson twining a handle for a basket. Where the weaver skillfully interlaces the rushes and grass to create a handle, the handle created by a mentor and protégé is woven with purposeful relationships and shared learning. In each case, a handle makes a basket easier to carry. Where a wicker vessel might contain goods from the market, the basket of the family is filled with legacy. In the case of familial mentoring, the handle provides a way for next generations to carry this legacy forward.
Just as the master weaver must learn the strands, fibers, and techniques needed to craft their wares, so must a mentor learn their craft. This month, I wanted to present a few of the mentoring fibers that are part of any highly effective familial mentoring relationship.
