Ed Percival.
Yoda, Obi-Wan, #BeMoreYou, Shaman, Discordian Pope.
Last week Chip Conley posed a question to our Modern Elder group of:
“What are the best qualities of a mentor and who’s been your best mentor in life so far?”
The second part of that question is easy for me. I have had quite a number of amazing mentors and immensely grateful to all of them. That I can put one of them above all others says so much about how amazing he was, and again regular readers will know I speak of the late, great Ed Percival.
Today I reflect on what mentoring means for becoming and being a Modern Elder, and more, to reflect on those best qualities that made Ed Percival my greatest mentor.
As regular readers will know, I’m very much involved in the Modern Elder movement conceived and led by Chip Conley.
His latest book, “Wisdom at Work – The Making of a Modern Elder” comes out in a few weeks (as at the date of publication of this post) on September 20th, 2018. I highly recommend going to meet Chip on his US book tour after the launch, or keep following here and on twitter, for UK and Europe people his UK will in early 2019 and announced once it is firmed up.
A key element of recognising and embracing a shift in identity to that of a Modern Elder is to embrace the beginner’s mind that it takes to be what Chip calls a “Mentern“, to be both mentor and intern, to teach and guide and also to learn and be guided.
So, back to Ed Percival, and considering his best qualities?
A stream of consciousness first:
- Abundance
- Belief
- Insight
- Unconditional support
- Love
- Humour
- Energy
- Intelligence
- Expertise… oh my word, so much expertise
- Intuitiveness.
I find myself being concise in this, and Ed was even more concise. Everything he learned and practice in over fifty years as a coach and mentor was distilled into what he wanted and what he supported in everybody he touched in his life.
Be.More.You.
Ed passed away on June 25, 2015 and his presence is with me every day. One way I honour him is to always focus on these words #BeMoreYou, which began as a page on a prior iteration of my site, and is now reflected in the four qualities of #OpenLeadership at this page.
In that bullet point list of Ed’s qualities, I feel I see some of them in what I bring as coach, sounding board, mentor.. and as a father to my three boys… and it is an honour to carry on and evolve his legacy in my own way.
Oh, and as I continue developing my first book on #OpenLeadership, that work in itself is an evolution with a starting point of a model and framework Ed taught me.
RIP Ed. Resonate in Peace ??