Standing on the shoulders of giants | Austin Stanford | TEDxLakeTravisHigh
Summary
TLDRThis speech emphasizes the importance of mentorship throughout history, using examples like Yoda from Star Wars, Haymitch from The Hunger Games, and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. It discusses how mentors see potential in others and guide them through challenges. The speaker shares personal experiences in seeking mentors, including reaching out to notable figures and learning from his grandfather. The key takeaway is to actively seek mentorship, respect mentors' time, and become a mentor to help others see further, standing on the shoulders of giants.
Takeaways
- 📚 Mentorship has been a vital part of human stories and personal growth throughout history, as exemplified by figures like Odysseus and Yoda.
- 🧐 People are drawn to mentors like Yoda because they embody wisdom and experience, passing on knowledge to the next generation, such as Luke Skywalker.
- 🌟 Mentors see potential in individuals that others might overlook, guiding them to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals, as seen in characters like Haymitch and Gandalf.
- 🔍 The speaker embarked on a 'year of mentors', actively seeking out connections with successful individuals to learn from their experiences.
- 🤔 The quest to find a mentor involves overcoming fear and intimidation, and being persistent in seeking out guidance and opportunities to learn.
- 📈 The speaker discovered that many potential mentors are not being approached due to their high status or popularity, leaving a wealth of untapped knowledge.
- 🤝 To maintain a mentoring relationship, it's important to come prepared with relevant topics and questions, and to respect the mentor's time.
- 💡 Not all potential mentors are sought after, and some are willing but waiting to be asked, presenting an opportunity for those seeking guidance.
- 👴 The personal impact of mentorship can be profound, as the speaker learned from his grandfather, who passed away, and other influential figures in his life.
- 🚀 Sir Isaac Newton's quote about standing on the shoulders of giants emphasizes the importance of learning from those who came before us to achieve greater heights.
- 🤝 The speaker challenges the audience to seek out mentors, learn from them, and also to become mentors themselves, creating a cycle of shared knowledge and growth.
Q & A
What historical example of mentorship is mentioned at the beginning of the script?
-The script mentions the example from Homer's 'The Odyssey,' where Odysseus leaves his son Telemachus with his companion Mentor.
Why is Yoda considered a great mentor in the script?
-Yoda is considered a great mentor because he passed on his wisdom and experience to Luke Skywalker, seeing potential in him where others saw a simple farmer.
How is Haymitch from 'The Hunger Games' similar to Yoda according to the script?
-Haymitch is similar to Yoda because he also saw potential in Katniss Everdeen, guided her through challenges, and helped her become a significant figure in a revolution.
What qualities did Gandalf see in the hobbits that others overlooked?
-Gandalf saw that the hobbits were teachable, determined, and full of potential, whereas others saw them as merely indulgent and unimportant.
How did the speaker try to find mentors, and what was the outcome?
-The speaker reached out to various high-profile individuals through LinkedIn, Facebook, phone, email, and mail but received no responses until receiving advice from Robert.
What key advice did the speaker receive from Robert regarding finding mentors?
-Robert advised the speaker to stop sending 'Will you be my mentor?' emails and start being present and embracing learning opportunities all around.
What realization did the speaker come to about where to look for mentors?
-The speaker realized that instead of reaching out to highly popular figures, they should look for mentors who have the same level of expertise but are less sought after.
According to the script, what are the two main requirements to maintain a mentoring relationship?
-To maintain a mentoring relationship, one needs to come with relevant topics and questions, and respect the mentor's time.
What personal story did the speaker share about taking a chance on a mentoring opportunity?
-The speaker shared a story about choosing to sit with a billionaire CEO in an intimidating situation instead of sitting with friends, which led to a valuable mentoring relationship.
What lesson does the speaker draw from the example of their grandfather?
-The speaker learned the importance of spending time and learning from older generations, as their grandfather taught them valuable life lessons and selflessness.
What famous quote does the speaker use to emphasize the importance of mentors, and who said it?
-The speaker uses Sir Isaac Newton's quote, 'If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants,' to emphasize the importance of mentors.
What challenge does the speaker give to the audience regarding mentorship?
-The speaker challenges the audience to be mindful of learning opportunities, seek out mentors, and also proactively invite others to stand on their shoulders to see further.
Outlines
🧙 Mentorship in Human Stories
The speaker begins by highlighting the importance of mentorship throughout human history, from ancient epics like Homer's Odyssey to modern narratives such as Star Wars, where Yoda serves as a mentor to Luke Skywalker. The speaker emphasizes the role of mentors as experienced guides who impart wisdom and help their mentees realize their potential. They draw parallels between Yoda and other mentors in literature and film, such as Haymitch from 'The Hunger Games' and Gandalf from 'Lord of the Rings,' who all identify and nurture the potential in their mentees, guiding them to overcome challenges and achieve greatness.
🔎 Finding and Maintaining Mentorship
The speaker shares their personal journey of seeking mentorship, initially attempting to connect with high-profile individuals without success. They then shift their approach to a more data-driven method, collecting information on potential mentors across various industries and their willingness to mentor. The speaker discovers that while many are open to mentoring, few are approached due to intimidation or lack of awareness. They learn that maintaining a mentoring relationship requires bringing relevant topics and respecting the mentor's time. The speaker also explores the reasons why some potential mentors have not been asked to mentor, often due to the fear or hesitation of those seeking guidance.
🚀 Overcoming Fear to Embrace Mentorship
The speaker recounts personal experiences where overcoming fear led to valuable mentorship opportunities, such as sitting with a billionaire CEO instead of friends during a university event, which resulted in a lasting mentorship. They also share a poignant story about their grandfather, who passed away recently, and the lessons learned from him about love, value, and selflessness. The speaker uses these anecdotes to illustrate the importance of seeking out mentorship and the profound impact it can have on one's life and growth.
🤝 Becoming Giants for Others to Stand Upon
In the concluding paragraph, the speaker reflects on the concept of standing on the shoulders of giants, as famously stated by Sir Isaac Newton, to see further. They encourage the audience to recognize and seize learning opportunities around them, to ask for mentorship, and to offer their own experience and knowledge to others. The speaker envisions a community where everyone becomes a mentor, helping others to see further and achieve more, thus creating a cycle of shared growth and enlightenment.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mentorship
💡Yoda
💡Experience
💡Potential
💡Revolution
💡Fear
💡Relevance
Highlights
Mentorship has been a vital part of human stories throughout recorded history.
Yoda is liked because he passed on his wisdom and experience to Luke Skywalker.
People identify with Luke Skywalker, who was seen by Yoda as teachable, driven, and full of potential.
Haymitch from 'The Hunger Games' is a great mentor because he recognized Katniss's potential and helped her navigate the games.
Gandalf in 'Lord of the Rings' saw the potential in the hobbits and guided them through their journey.
The speaker embarked on a 'Year of Mentors,' connecting with influential people to learn from them.
Notable individuals like Mark Cuban and Bear Grylls did not respond to the speaker's mentorship requests.
Robert Herjavec's response helped the speaker realize the importance of being present and embracing learning opportunities.
Mentorship is often found in less obvious places, not just among the most famous or successful.
Persistence is key in finding a mentor; one should keep asking until someone agrees.
Maintaining a mentoring relationship requires coming with relevant topics and respecting the mentor's time.
Many potential mentors are overlooked because people are scared to reach out to them.
The speaker's personal story of learning from his grandfather, who passed away recently, emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of mentorship opportunities.
Sir Isaac Newton's quote about standing on the shoulders of giants illustrates the concept of learning from those who came before us.
The speaker challenges the audience to become 'giants' themselves, offering their knowledge and experience to others.
The speaker encourages proactively inviting others to learn from one's experiences to help them see further.
Transcripts
[Music]
so as far back as we go in recorded
human history all the way to the epics
written by Homer the Odyssey where
Odysseus leaves his son Telemachus with
his companion mentor while he's off on
his adventures all the way to a long
long time ago in a galaxy far far away
mentorship has been a vital part of
human stories and what it means to be
human
now with that example we're gonna focus
a little more on Yoda because I know
nothing about ancient Greek literature
at all
Yoda why do we like Yoda and this may be
the wrong demographic for this but is it
because he makes for a funny meme
obviously not I would say that the
reason we like Yoda is because he passed
on what he learned
you see Yoda in the story if anyone here
had a childhood had is a very wise being
as someone who came from lots of
experience and he passed that experience
on to Luke Skywalker and often times we
identify with Luke the reason we like
Yoda is because when other people saw
Luke Skywalker outside of outside of
Yoda
people saw him as a young destitute
farmer in the desert I guess farming
sand really doing nothing on the
fast-track to a life of mediocrity the
reason we like Yoda is because he saw
Luke and he saw someone who was
teachable driven and full of potential
and stepped into his life and showed him
how to navigate the obstacles that were
to come the reason we like Yoda is the
same reason we like
Haymitch from The Hunger Games you see
besides the clinical drunkenness
Haymitch was a great mentor to Katniss
Everdeen where people saw a poor girl
who had to hunt for her food Haymitch
saw someone who was teachable determined
in full of potential and showed her how
to navigate the games because Haymitch
has been there before he's navigated
these he's seen what it takes to get to
the other side successful not only
successfully but bonus points get
through alive but he didn't stop there
because what he saw in her was so much
greater he helped to turn her into an
icon that helped us start a revolution
that ended up changing the world
the reason we like Haymitch is the same
reason we like Gandalf from Lord of the
Rings you see where lots of people saw
the hobbits as little half sized people
who ate too much drank too much smoke
too much slept too much partied too much
and lived in little weird houses gandalf
saw a group of people who were teachable
determined and full of potential gandalf
had fought the evil that was coming to
face them before gandalf had been there
gandalf knows how to get through that
and with the people that he saw
potential in he was able to pass that
knowledge on to them so that they might
do the same and so you might be asking
the same thing i was asking about a year
ago when i was here i how do we how do
we get mentors how do we find mentors
like this I'm not
Katniss I'm not Luke I'm not Frodo I'm
not the main character in an epic story
how do I find a mentor so I wanted to
answer that question and so what I did
was over the past year I connected with
people through LinkedIn Facebook phone
email in actual mail in some cases
believe it or not and called it my year
of mentors where no matter what no
matter who the person was no matter
their their title their status if they'd
been on TV before or whatever I wasn't
let anything intimidate me I was gonna
see what it took to connect with truly
great people to learn great things and
you'll be surprised at a few of the
people who were part of that Mark Cuban
Bear Grylls Greg Abbott just down the
road
Ellen Morgan Freeman and Robert
kerkovich Archibeque he's on Shark Tank
with Mark Cuban I can never say his name
right every single one of these people
as I reached out did not respond none
not not one time actually that is until
all Robbie here came and clutched for me
and responded it was not the response I
was looking for he said stop will you
stop the will you be my mentor emails
and start being present to embrace the
learning opportunities all around you so
I'd like to give myself one point for
getting someone to respond it wasn't
exactly what I was looking for but it
was helpful because it helped me to
determine what I needed to do where I
needed to look to find the mentors that
I was looking for the mentorship would
connect with us and as I collected data
of of who these people were what
industry they were in what level of the
industry how long they've had experience
there how many tries it took me to get
there blah blah blah blah blah this big
excel sheet full of data I compressed it
all into the next slide and it may be a
little advanced it may be it may be a
lot to take in so if you have questions
we're gonna be outside and I'd love for
you to come and talk to me if you don't
get it so I'll try to go slow this is
the best place to look for a mentor you
don't want to sacrifice on expertise but
you don't want to be looking at the red
carpet like I was I was starting to feel
down on myself because no one was
responding but I realized thanks to
Robert that I was looking in the wrong
spot you see when we reach out to people
like Morgan Freeman if we want to become
an actor we we're reaching out to
someone that thousands and thousands of
other people are reaching out to and
there's other people around who are
still have the same amount of expertise
but are far less popular these people
that I connected with in this little
star area where we're still CEOs of
Fortune 100 and even fortune ten
companies these are local founders of
businesses here in Austin these are
actors these are speakers these are
government officials keynote speakers
really interesting people that I was
still able to connect with and because I
started to see more people responding
and connecting
I wanted to gather two bits of data the
first how many times it took to reach
out or how many how many reaching out
attempts it took to get someone to
respond
I stopped gathering that data because it
got hard and I'm not a scientist and B I
realized it didn't matter because if you
want a mentor you should just keep
asking you should ask until someone says
yes maybe not the same person use your
judgement but you just keep asking so I
stopped gathering that bit of data and I
started to focus on this this question
alone has anyone outside of your direct
reports at work asked you to be a mentor
to them
the reason I ask this is because you
know we found out a what it takes to get
a mentor and that's just asking being
bold and asking until you get one that's
good and now we need to find out how we
keep a mentor so in this blue section
the people who said yes people do reach
out to me and have asked me I asked the
follow-up question of I asked the
follow-up question of what does it take
to maintain that mentoring relationship
and everybody who responded said
essentially the same thing in their own
words they said two points number one
you need to come with relevant topics
and relevant questions and number two
you need to come with a respect for time
which makes sense because the people we
want to learn from are often off being
successful and by virtue of that don't
have tons of time and so to help you
understand that I'll give you a
hypothetical situation a hypothetical
story let's just say again
hypothetically there's some handsome guy
who's preparing for a TEDx talk in I
don't know Austin and and he reaches out
to a keynote speaker at LinkedIn and
says hey I'm preparing for this thing I
literally have no clue what I'm doing
would you connect with me once a month
and help me prepare for this and she
says sure
and in that TEDx a person the handsome
guy goes to the first mentoring session
and sits down and just waits
and the the conversation is probably
gonna go a little something like the
keynote speaker saying hey my time is
valuable your time is also valuable you
can't just come here and expect for some
fountain of wisdom to pour upon you I
don't know who you are I don't know what
you do I don't know what you're looking
for you need to come with relevant
topics that we can talk about and so
again hypothetically take that and learn
from that story we need to come with
relevant topics and in a in a respect
for time so that's how we maintain the
relationship and so now that we know
that's how you maintain it and the way
you get it is by asking let's focus on
this orange reddish section here these
are the people who said no no one has
reached out to me but I am willing to be
a mentor and that to me is something a
resource that's sad to waste something
that it's it's it's a pity that's we're
not taking advantage of and so to these
people my follow-up question was why why
do you think no one has reached back out
to you or why do you think no one has
asked you to be a mentor to them and
their answers again all said essentially
the same thing in their own words they
said I think people are scared and when
I hear that it makes me think of if I
was scared what the mentoring
opportunities and the in the experiences
I would have missed out on if if I
hadn't tried or asked two years ago
maybe maybe three years ago I was at the
University I attended and I represented
the a student section where when when
donors would approach the university to
give money we would always take them to
some super nice dinner and there would
be a group of student representatives in
front and in two Cadillacs to s what's
the word to the super nice Cadillac SUV
Escalades which up nice would show up
and you know in the front the donors
would get in and in the back the
representatives would get in and I
remember standing there and looking and
seeing in both there was one seat
available in the left in the back
Escalade was my friends the people I
knew the people I did this with the
people I hang out with every day and in
the front was a billionaire CEO and
founder of a tech company and I could
have gone to safety I could have gone to
what was you know natural and safe right
but instead I'm I'm happy I made the
decision I went and sat with the kind of
uncomfortable and intimidating situation
and I'll tell you when I got there the
the donor the main donor the the founder
of the tech company was sitting in the
passenger seat of the front turned
around hugging his headrest in a kind of
uncomfortable fashion looking at me
straight in the eyes and asking me who I
was what I did why I did it
he was so interested in me and I in turn
was also very interested in him that
that I in at the end ended up asking him
would you mind exchanging contact
information would you mind if throughout
the year I reached out to you a couple
times and he said yes and so now a few
times a year over phone over text which
is funny to text a billionaire and over
email I am able to ask questions to a
really truly incredible person and I
have that because I wasn't scared I
wasn't fearful and I walked into a
slightly intimidating situation this
next slide is gonna be a little harder
for me to get through probably and
partially because my family's here but
this man is album Calvin Stanford he's
my grandfather and two and a half months
ago or so as I was preparing for this
talk he passed away and and I was there
and it was really tough and I just
looked at my dad in the audience and it
makes it harder you know I was there and
it was it was tough
and but I know when it happened though
it was devastating
I I had a sense of peace because I I
spent time with him you know I spent
time with him I whenever we sat around
we would talk and I would stay and I
would talk and I would call this man
multiple times a month I feel like
sometimes there's such a disconnect in
the generations where kids get to their
grandparents house and they think he's
weird because he has a VHS and I don't
know what that stands for or grandpa
asked me for a Wi-Fi and that makes no
sense and we miss out on that and if I
if I didn't take advantage while he was
here I wouldn't have what I have now
this man taught me what it means to love
people what it means to value people he
was also the most selfless man I ever
knew and when I was younger I thought he
was an angel which is funny to me today
and so I think Sir Isaac Newton said it
best when he said if I have seen further
than others it is by standing upon the
shoulders of giants you see this came at
a time when he was being praised for his
academic his technological achievements
in his scientific advancements and when
people were saying
uuugh he said no not me them not me the
people who stick whose shoulders I am
standing on they have paved a way they
have held my hand they have showed me
what I need to do to get to the where I
am they have helped me see further these
two men that I've mentioned tonight are
two examples of the many giants in my
life there's a lot more and there's a
few in this room today and I'm glad
they're here and so my challenge to
everyone here whatever you're going into
whatever age you are be mindful of the
opportunities to learn around you look
for those giants and ask them if you can
stand on their shoulders because I
promise when you do you will see further
and beyond that what if everyone here
today all of us together became giants
of our own and instead of waiting for
others to ask to stand on our shoulders
we invited them proactively to stand on
ours so they can see further as well
thank you
[Applause]
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