Throughout human history, there have been numerous relationships so influential that they have changed the course of the world. ‘Friendship’ is one such relationship.
Friends make excellent mentors. We bring you 5 most unique friendships, which later got turned into the relationship of a mentor and a mentee. Take a look:
• Mike Marakkula – Steve Jobs – Mark Zuckerberg
Mike Marakkula remains a relatively unknown name in the emergence and development of Apple. He was one of the few investors who trusted Steve Jobs and invested in Apple during its infancy.
Marakkula took an instant liking to the exuberant young pair of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, when the two were brought on board to engineer the Apple II computer. The relationship between Jobs and Marakkula grew stronger with time and is claimed to have been a figurehead in Jobs’ return to Apple in 1985.
What Steve Jobs learnt from his friendship with Mike Marakkula, he passed it on to his friend and mentee Mark Zuckerberg. Jobs suggesting Zuckerberg to visit the same Kainchi Dham temple in India as he did in the early gestation period of Apple is a story known to all.
• Gennady Barsky – Christophe Navarre
In spite of an age gap of almost 20 years, the friendship between Christophe Navarre and Gennady Barsky has been one of the most mutually benefitting in the business world. Navarre has worked at Avadel, Moet Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits division of LVMH, Comite Colbert, and Heineken. While Navarre’s vast experience in the business world helped Gennady Barsky gain some great insights, he in turn helped Christophe Navarre to climb his way to be a member of the Board of Directors at one of the leading chartered aviation service providers.
• Warren Buffet – Bill Gates
Friend, mentor, benefactor, and investor – Warren Buffet has played all these roles in Bill Gates’ life. Gates had dropped out of Harvard as a teenager and was in quite a fix to execute his ideas.
According to Bill Gates, had Warren Buffet did not display a profound belief in his abilities, Microsoft would still be a fledgling partnership between him and Paul Allen.
Buffet’s experience and input have had a great impact on Gates. The Microsoft founder credits Buffet for his invaluable advice in overcoming adversity and long-term thinking, which enabled Gates to fulfill his potential and get rid of his ‘high school dropout’ tag.
• Billy Salomon – Michael Bloomberg
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg had humble beginnings like most of the people on the list. He thanks his mentor Billy Salomon for instilling in him the values and principles that in turn led to such a successful career.
Bloomberg had applied for a job as a trader at Salomon Brothers & Hutzler right after completing his education. At his interview he bumped into Billy Salomon, the company’s founder, who offered him some pearls of wisdom.
Bloomberg bagged the job, which marked the foundation of a journey that would see him become the eighth wealthiest person on the planet. Talking about his relationship with Salomon, Bloomberg stated, “He (Salomon) didn’t teach by lecturing. He taught by leading, and he led by example. On most mornings, he’d be the first one in the office. He was a good listener, but he didn’t manage by consensus. He was his own man, he made his own decisions, and he didn’t look back.”
• Eric Schmidt – Larry Page & Sergey Brin
When computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google, they clearly needed help to manage the corporate requirements of the organization. The duo had no idea how quickly the company would grow in the face of the rapid ascent of their search engine as the world’s favorite finder of things online.
Impressed with the open-minded outlook Eric Schmidt carried with him, Page roped him in. “Eric was experienced and the only one who went to Burning Man, which we thought was an important criterion. He’s a great cultural fit. We hang out together. We discuss and decide on stuff together. More companies should look at cultural fit,” the duo recalls.
Schmidt’s experience assisted Page and Brin to develop the corporate infrastructure to manage Google’s growth effectively. The trio forms a perfect example of the friendship-mentoring relationship and how knowledge gaps can be overcome.
Being a friend and a mentor at the same time is all about forming a great relationship centered on a mutual passion. While friendship is often the foundation of this understanding, it is important to achieve total honesty, perfect communication and frequent communications, in order for the relationship to really reach its full potential. That’s a lot of work for some; however, it can help both the mentor and the mentee to take their respective careers to a whole new level.