Life long impact of Mentors
Hi. It’s me Yashar. I usually write posts on my Medium account. But this time, I decided that my next post should be done a bit differently. So Jerry (co-founder & CEO @AdviceAnalytics) and I wanted to conduct an interview style post to provide a deeper insight into who we are, and why we are great believers and beneficiaries of Mentors throughout our lives and careers.
Who was the earliest mentor in your life?
Jerry: Definitely my mom, by any definition you use for “mentor”: guide, motivator, counselor, tell-it-like-it-is butt-kicker.
Yashar: For me, my earliest mentor I can remember was my dad. In many ways, he still is my mentor. And by that I mean that our relationship of father and son is there, but he’s also been my guide, or rather my north star whom I aspire to be more like.
Why was that important to you?
Jerry: She was a single mom raising four children. Yet, no matter how tired she was, no matter how rebellious I was, she always had one singular goal — that I pursue happiness. She defined for me what it meant to be a leader — to look out for your people. She set higher expectations for me — and challenged me to exceed them. She saw my potential — and forced me to see my own shortcomings. There were certainly times I tried her patience — but she never gave up on me.
Yashar: It was important to me because as a child you are looking for answers. Of course, my mother was and still is there always offering her emotional support, but it’s always been my dad who provided concrete support, and being a dreamer who actually achieved, and keeps achieving his dreams. That is what’s always drawn me to him, and still does today. He’s always had this belief that we as his children (I have two younger brothers) have the world within our reach, so long as we believe in ourselves and pursue that which we truly desire the most. He’s always had such belief, that in my second startup, he was both my co-founder, first customer, and first investor. And he still does not cease to amaze me with his continued accomplishments, and his thirst for knowledge — even outside the realm of his profession as a physician.
How did it shape your path forward?
Jerry: I work hard to live her lessons every day. But in reality, I know I live with gratitude and appreciation precisely because I am so grateful and appreciative for her guidance. These days, I tell her that often — and attribute any of my achievements to her. She’s shaped me into a better person, leader, father, husband, brother, friend.
Yashar: Every decision I make, I think of the following words he always says to me — so long as you keep your honor, and your trust is upheld, there is nothing that can stop you from achieving that which you are destined to achieve. I always seek his guidance, even today.
Who was your first professional mentor?
Jerry: David Turner at Gateway was the first person that was not my manager to reach out and mentor me — long before I even understood the concept. He was a Senior Vice President reporting to the CEO of a large, well-known corporate brand, who reached out, suggested various high-profile projects to expand my skills, and placed me into roles that tested my leadership. He threw me into the fire — but was there to nudge, catch, and steady me. Most importantly, he made work FUN — I don’t think I’d ever laughed so much at work under as much pressure as we all were.
Yashar: My first professional mentor was the late and great Jeffrey Donahue. He was a gentleman’s gentleman. It was during my first startup when we went through the Springboard Connect program that I first met him. He came in as an invited guest from one of the EIR’s to look at our 5 year financial projections and poke holes in it. We were all struck by how he carried himself, by his deep, and reassuring voice that gave us validation and course correction where we needed it. He was the first person I sought to bring onboard for my second and third startup. It was during my third startup that he sadly succumbed to a long battle with cancer. And it was in the middle of one of his treatments that he still made time for me, to attend our meetings and provide his guidance forward. I will never forget his humility, his kindness, and his generosity.
How did that help you?
Jerry: He redefined adversity into an incredible personal growth opportunity. He encouraged me to run TO the fire — create one if necessary. He would say that really cool things happen when you get smart people to try to do the impossible.
Yashar: He taught me to pause, to assess, to be less reactive, and more proactive. He’s someone who taught me that there is always time to respond, but never time to change what’s already been said. It was through Jeff, and through observing him that I became a more mindful leader, someone who did not spring to respond, but someone who would rather listen first, assess, then provide a diplomatic path forward.
Who is your most memorable mentor, and why?
Jerry: After David Turner, I had several fantastic leaders at HP: Michael Park, Sumeer Chandra, Alex Cho. All were incredibly empathetic leaders — as apparent from the deep respect and loyalty they generated from their teams. They are my models of truly authentic, caring, super-smart leaders.
Yashar: Besides my dad, and Jeff, I have been very fortunate to have had great mentors, people like Kevin Reddy from McKinsey, Jim Miller from Anthony Robbins companies, and more. But the one that’s stood the test of time aside from the first two has been the legendary Neil Weintraut who was an underwriter who took Netscape public, formed Palo Alto Ventures and invested in many startups, including his last exit of Demandforce as the first investor in, with an acquisition of $424M by Intuit. Somehow, in a truly magical way, Neil not only became a mentor, but a co-founder of mine with two of my startups, and then he and his daughter Sarah became part of our family. So much so, that we can have almost three FaceTime conversations talking about everything in life and sharing life events and more. He taught me so much about how a VC thinks, operates, and how they invest and why.
Have you mentored others?
Jerry: Yes — students, colleagues, and professionals. In all cases, I’ve offered both business and personal support.
Yashar: Yes. Both friends with startups and established businesses, as well as spoken publicly at events where audience members reached out afterwards to be mentored from the view of an early stage startup, as well as product vision.
Why did you mentor others?
Jerry: Passing it forward — and helping and supporting others is incredibly fulfilling.
Yashar: I mentored others because the world has given me so many amazing people that have mentored and helped me along my journey and I believe in good karma.
How has that helped you?
Jerry: I’ve realized that my own pursuit of happiness can be multiplied when I help others achieve their happiness.
Yashar: It helped me as it provided new friendships, but also new people whom I too could reach out to to ask about areas of their expertise, and not mine. But seeing what Jerry has written, I have to agree with the sentiment fully as it does give me tremendous joy to be of help to others.
Open ended thoughts, conclusions
Jerry: Just writing this down has been an incredible experience. How often do we get to articulate thoughts like this? Thank you, Yashar — I definitely appreciate the forces of the universe that have connected us. Now let’s grow our company my friend!
Yashar: I could not have said it better brother! This journey of ours has been nourishing for my soul as I did not think I’d be a co-founder this soon again — but you and I, we just work! So yes, let’s grow the company together!
Please feel free to reach out either one of us on LinkedIn, or Twitter.
