We all have people that we look up to. It’s very easy to place those individuals on a pedestal and forget that they are flesh and blood human. I, too, am guilty of this.

Recently, while attending the ACHE’s annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, I heard one of my personal “individuals on a pedestal” speak. As I listened to this accomplished hospital exec, I realized the wealth of stories she told made her “real.”

Would you believe it? This nationally recognized leader I admired so greatly had things in common with me. She had been overlooked for promotions. And “restructured”. And lived with failures and shortcomings.

I could actually relate to her. How about that?

Hearing her personal and very human journey also made me feel like I, too, could achieve the success she had achieved. After all, she overcame the same types of challenges I have faced.

It also struck me that mentoring isn’t magical. And it’s not a “program.”

To be truly effective in our mentoring and networking, we must share our experiences, our failures and our triumphs.

When you strip it all back, what resonates most with you?

In all likelihood it’s not a bunch of credentials, or diplomas, or even titles. Nor is it statistics, research, or accolades. It’s the stories you have heard about others’ journeys. The anecdotes you can then share, and learn from, without actually having to go through the ordeal.

There is a lot of “heart” when it comes to sharing experiences, and those stories are what remain long after the intricacies of a report or seminar have withered away.

What story has impacted you?