5. GUIDES ANDRULES OF THEROAD
Journeys can be dangerous and the best laid plans can go
wrong. What will you be packing to help you on your way?
What sort of survival kit does a leader need? You cannot take
much, you want to travel light (but not too light) – a bulging
suitcase will only slow you down. What resources do you
need to help you?
On your journey there will be challenges that you will
meet with three kinds of resources to match the three at-
tributes of a leader:
1 You will need self-skills– to develop yourself so you can
lead by example and develop your vision.
2 You will need relational skillsto influence and persuade
others to accompany you, to develop others as leaders
and build excellent teams.
3 You will need strategic thinking skillsto understand the
situation so that you can take a long-term view rather
than make a short-term fix.
mentors
Your greatest resource is a person you can trust and who is
willing to guide you. If they have made the journey them-
selves, then so much the better. A mentor is such a person.
In the Greek epic poem theOdyssey, written in the ninth cen-
tury BC, Mentor was the old friend and counsellor of the
hero Ulysses, and tutor to his son Telemachus. From here,
the name has found its way into our language as a trusted