We don't talk about our mentors enough.

Some people don't have any mentors.
Some people are afraid to become mentors.

I've been fortunate enough to have many amazing mentors in all walks of life.

Queenie was my 1st mentor in Gotham and she taught me the importance of showing up on time (I used to be habitually late).  It was a painful, but important lesson.

Steve Lichtenstein was my 3rd mentor - he taught me how to network and how to be a connector.  There are networkers, there are connectors, there are super connectors, and then there's Steve.  He knows everyone and he made it his mission to connect people to each other.  He took me to many meetings & gatherings, and his recommendation that I read NEVER EAT ALONE became my networking blueprint for 2 decades.

Fred Klein was my 4th and shortest mentor - only 2 1-on-1 meetings, but man were they impactful.  After 3 years of showing up at countless meetings and giving my (in hindsight) utterly awful commercial about "HIPAA, PCI/DSS and SOX Compliance", Fred took me aside, asked for my permission and thoroughly destroyed my commercial.  From him, I learned how to speak to people in their language, not mine.  I simplified my commercial and to this day, I look at all my messaging from "will this make sense to my audience" and not from "let me show them how smart I am".

David Stein was my 2nd mentor - and the most powerful influence on our lives.  Not only did he teach me to network (David & Steve Licht were my networking dynamic duos), but when I shared with him that our elder daughter was special needs, she had an IEP from the NYS Board of Education and we were struggling with her health issues, failing to decipher Dept of Education requirements, and quite frankly, I was failing as a father and husband.

Dave didn't tell me to stop.  He didn't throw up his hands or try to get me to focus on business networking.
Instead, he invited me to his house.  For a year, I went to his backyard on a monthly basis, drank his bourbon, smoked his cigars and poured my heart out.
He told me one of his daughter's was also special needs, and his wife was a District 75 teacher.  (NOTE TO SPECIAL NEEDS PARENTS - if you live in NYC, ask Sharon or myself about District 75 for kids aged 5-21).

He then offered to come to our house and show Sharon how to build the Board Of Education IEP binder.  For 6 months, he called, he showed up, and when we were too scared or too embarassed or too overwhelmed, he helped carry the burden.

To this day, I tell my mentees the following:
A) Mentors are like superheroes - you need more than one.

B) In any area of life, business, marketing, sales, parenting, marriage, living an extraordinary life, etc.  GET 1 or more mentors.

WHAT'S NEXT:

We/I need a way to honor David Stein's memory by recognizing our current super mentors.  The ones who go above & beyond.  The ones who save your kids' life, or your marriage or your sanity.  We may not have a super mentor every year (and that's OK - super mentors are rare), but when we find them, we should honor them while they're alive.  And keep their memory alive after the pass on.