Pinstripes, Mentors & a Birthday

When I first started at Churchill a little over 23 years ago, I had a pretty confident view of the world. I'd had some fairly good fortune early in my career, and I'd been mentored, without realizing it, by some very good people. They saw something in me and gave me room to operate and space to grow. I figured that if I could learn fast, outwork the people around me and treat people reasonably well, I'd do OK. And I did.

It seemed like I had it all figured out. After all, I was 32 years old. What more was there to learn?

Plenty, it turns out.

I remember driving home after my first week at Churchill Mortgage. I had finally mastered spelling mortgage with a "t," and I thought to myself, this place is different. The shiny corporate ladder that used to distract me was gone. In its place were people. People with families. People who brought real life to work with them. People who showed up for each other and worked their tails off for the good of the team, not just themselves.

It felt strange. In the best way.

That same week, Mike Hardwick, Churchill's founder and one of the great mentors in my life, started teaching me things I hadn't learned yet:

• People over profits.
• Keep your reverse gear in good working order.
• Attitude, with action, is everything.
• Don't expect from others what you don't expect from yourself.
• Never underestimate the value of a great story.

Most importantly, he taught me it was OK to be the authentic me, scars and all. No pretending. No performing. And he taught me that my work, and how I did it, mattered to God.

Notice what this proverb doesn't say. It doesn't say read about the wise, or admire the wise from a distance. It says walk with them. Wisdom rubs off through proximity: time, conversation, and the courage to let someone tell you the truth.

My core conviction of Be the Expert rests on lifelong learning. Read books. Practice your craft. Keep learning. Never stop. But being the expert also means having the humility to surround yourself with people better than you. Rising-tide people who lift everyone around them.

And it means having mentors. People who have been there, done that, and proudly walk with a limp. People who love you enough to spend time with you, guide you, and tell you the truth.

People like Mike Hardwick.

Who are the people walking with you right now, and are any of them wise enough, and close enough, to tell you the truth?

Reach out to one mentor this week, past or present. Thank them for something specific they taught you. If you don't have one, name one person you'd like to learn from and ask them for coffee.

Lord, thank You for the people You've placed in my path who saw more in me than I saw in myself. Give me the humility to keep learning, the courage to hear the truth, and the willingness to walk with others the way they walked with me. Amen.

Happy 75th birthday, Mike! Despite the Yankee pinstripes on your heart, we are all so grateful for your presence in our lives over so many years.