Chris Judd: Why you should have a mentor

A mentor can be an invaluable asset to your career progression, offering guidance and helping you to navigate challenges. Chris Judd reflects on the impact they’ve had on his life – and shares his experience in mentoring others.

Life is short. We're only here for a fraction of time, and every challenge that we’re going to face – no matter how big – has already been someone else’s reality. That’s why having a mentor can be such a massive advantage. If you can learn from the experience of someone who’s been down the road before you, you can take a course of action that’ll spare you some pain and frustration.

As a football player, I learnt a great deal from those who’d come before me. I had a lot of cultural heroes who I modelled my behaviour on, and that was invaluable in my early career. Seeing how fanatical top players were about managing their diet was extremely important to me. The same went for the level of ownership that they took over their training programs. Those sorts of lessons were significant to my development as an athlete.

I could say that about a lot of people, especially in those formative years at West Coast. There were older players – guys like Drew Banfield and Rowan Jones – who had balance across their whole lives, and their influence was really beneficial. Or even someone like Daniel Kerr who, despite the fact he’s a smaller guy than me, is just so physically tough. Watching the level of courage he possessed made me strive to improve myself.

These days, I’ve got a mentor who advises me when it comes to investing – and he’s been invaluable. We were introduced in my late twenties by a mutual friend. At that time, he was the chairman of a stockbroking company. I became a client, and we ended up friends. The rest is history.

I’ve also had the chance to act as a mentor in my own right. Towards the end of my time as a player, I made more of an effort to mentor some of the younger guys in the clubs. It was a way to contribute to the team when I wasn’t of much use physically any more. It’s a rewarding way to round off your career – to feel like you’re helping others in a small way before you leave.

One thing I learnt from the experience is that it’s entirely ineffective to mentor someone who has low ambition – even if they have a lot of talent. If you’re considering taking up a mentoring position, you’ll be drawn to people like that because the potential upside is so high. But, in my experience, I’ve found they end up being an energy vacuum.

Instead, I discovered that mentoring those who were ambitious and eager to learn was beneficial for everyone involved. While there’s definitely an argument that people with those personality traits are going to get where they need to go anyway, as a good mentor you can play a significant role in speeding up that process. That’s a rewarding feeling.

After my on-field career ended, I did some more organised mentoring with players from other clubs, which I really enjoyed. I spent 18 months catching up pretty regularly with Zach Merrett from Essendon. I think he found the time useful, and I certainly enjoyed it.

It’s important to point out that if you’re being mentored, you’re going to see the best results when you’re actually being yourself. For example, Warren Buffet was mentored by Benjamin Graham, the famous financial advisor that a lot of well-known investors study, but he carved out his own destiny rather than simply imitating someone else’s journey. If you’re just saying, “I want to be that guy,” having a mentor probably won’t work out for you. But if you take lessons from many different sources, reflect on them, then combine them with your personal experience, you’re a lot more likely to end up successful.

Although mentors can be essential to your progression, both in your career and personally, be conscious of not developing a hero complex. Remember, no one is infallible, and no one knows everything. While a mentor is certainly useful as a data point, you’re still the one who’s in control of your own life – and only you can be responsible for your success or happiness.

Former Australian Rules footballer Chris Judd is familiar with how to get your heart rate up and push yourself physically. Twice winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, Chris is an honoured sportsman and father to four children, Oscar, Billie, Tom and Darcy. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.