The war of the Mahabharat was to begin in Kurukshetra. The cousins of Lord Krishna stood before him. Krishna had two offerings, his army & himself. It was for Arjuna & Duryodhana to choose. Duryodhana believed that strength lies in numbers. He chose the army. Arjuna believed in the power of one. He chose the mentor.
Each Ayyappan candidate has to enter the mentor-ship program. 41 days challenge is SEAL stuff. Who could mentor them?
The Mentor-ship process goes through 4 stages:
- MODEL: A model is a person who walks the talk. In NLP jargon, he is one whose sub-modalities can be aped. His posture and breathing patterns mimicked and who’s thought process can be replicated. We try to model Steve Jobs, Mandela & Ja Ma through their books and tapes.
In the Ayyappa Challenge, the model is in flesh and blood. No one can be mentor out of his volition.
A mentor has a set of operating standards. A mentor (guruswamy) is one who has excelled in the Key Performance Indicators of the 18 steps consistently for 18 years.
It is not a shot in the dark. To be a model the person needs sustenance & consistency. He sets the benchmark & exacting standards for his star performers to emulate.
2. MOTIVATE: The mentor is a man of action. When a perfectionist is your guide, he doesn’t need to make speeches. He does not have to go through Nightingale leadership series. He does not need training from Toastmasters on how to deliver a talk & move his audience.
He (guruswamy) has rubbed the genie. His wish is now the command. He has the power of the word, the talk that can move mountains. His word is now the world.
3. MENTOR: His word is that to be followed. He can move armies of love & peace. He is the light house which gives respite to the wandering ships. He is the queen bee that provides succor to the deviant worker bees.
4. MULTIPLY: He is the seed that produces forth a forest. Just a small banyan seed can proliferate and stretch out to the extent of many square kilometers, a vibrant guruswamy can transform an entire community.
We live in an era of leaders, evangelists and transformers but here is a system which can make a difference.
If you want one year harvest, plant corn.
If you want ten years harvest, plant trees.
If you want hundred years harvest, plant men.
Are you looking towards making a difference in this world? Can you tread on this path for 18 years and get the most important distinction any trainer or motivator could aspire for – guruswamy.
This is Shiv signing off from S & S Family First
