By Mahari A. McTier
I am who I am because of those who poured time, discipline, and love into me. Many of us can think back over our lives and identify those individuals who played instrumental roles both big and small. For some of us it was the teacher who told you that the sky was the limit, the mother who told you that you were beautiful regardless of what the world had to say, and the mentor who pushed you beyond your comfort limits to be great.
Having grown up without my father, having male surrogates and mentors was invaluable in teaching me how to be a man. Although my mom was superwoman, there are simply limitations that single moms face when raising young men. At each pivotal point in my life God sent the right person for that time to guide and advise me. From my Grandma Sadie to College Advisors and U.S. Congressmen, they all pushed me to be great.
Mentor relationships are one of the most powerful tools that can be used to transform our communities and save some of our young Black men and women. Programs like the Big Brother Big Sister Program and the strong work done by The 100 Black Men of America are changing lives. Many of our kids simply need to be exposed to things outside their closed environment. If each one of us reached back and became actively, I said actively, involved in the life of a young person we will see transformative change in the lives of our future generations. This commitment takes work, but the return on your investment of time is astronomical.
Let’s look at mentorship at work. I am blessed to be a part of an active mentorship triangle that encompasses myself and two other individuals, one 89 years old and the other 18. We all meet and talk several times a week. My mentor is Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. and my mentee is John Pitts of Ramsay High School.
I met John Pitts through a mentorship program. The City of Birmingham has a phenomenal program through JCCEO called the ‘Shadow an Executive Program’. I volunteered for the program and had the opportunity to work with Mr. Pitts. I was so impressed with him, not only did I become his mentor, my firm hired him. Dr. Lewis did the same for me. Not only did he become my mentor, he hired me to be his Financial Advisor. We have as a team bought real estate, done business deals, made major investment decisions, and conversed over life’s challenges. We include John Pitts in all that we do. This is how he will become greater than Dr. Lewis and I. This only happens when people invest in each other. My learning curve is shortened by my relationship with Dr. Lewis and our expectations for Mr. Pitts is unimaginably high.
I encourage each of you to become a mentor. The rewards are unmatched. Be a blessing to a young “Black male or female who is crying out for a hand to hold, for advice to make the right life decisions, and exposure to unlock their greatness!
(Mahari A. McTier is a Financial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com.)
