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No Need for Mentors: Summon Your Posse! (And Turn the ''In Posse'' into the ''In Esse.'')

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published March 05, 2007

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It may surprise you, but I would like to talk about the second image—and not just because it reflects the current zeitgeist. Rather, I want to tell you something about professional development and career goals that is better served by thinking collaboratively than by thinking hierarchically. More about this in a minute.

Posse Comitatus


The younger generation may throw the term "posse" around, but most people who do so are probably unaware that the phrase originates in Latin, not English. Regardless, the venerable OED and even Black's Law Dictionary inform us that the 19th-century image is more correct. A "posse comitatus" (sometimes just "posse") is the population of a county over the age of 15 that a sheriff may summon to his assistance in order to keep the peace or pursue and arrest felons. (See Williams v. State, 253 Ark. 973, 490 SW2d 117, 121). However, I want to focus your attention on another Latin usage of "posse," which appears in the phrase "in posse"—not to be confused with the phrase "in esse." Something is "in posse" when it might be true; something is "in esse" when it actually is. That said, I would like to draw an analogy illustrating ways to gather a "posse" around you and thereby shift your career plans from "in posse" to "in esse"—from "possible" to "actual."

You Need a Posse

All right. Enough about Latin and competing images. Why should we worry about what a posse is? Quite simply, because you could really use one. It is always handy to have an armed force around when looking to arrest scoundrels. It is also comforting to have your friends around when you are suffering from extreme ennui. More to the point, a posse can come in handy when you are trying to get somewhere in your career. Simply stated, you can go further if you have a group of individuals around you for the sole purpose of meeting your personal career goals.

All of us are involved in all sorts of relationships. Some of these are reciprocal (or are supposed to be). For example, your relationship with your spouse or significant other is (or is supposed to be) a reciprocal one; each of you gives to the other in a roughly equal way. Your casual friendships and acquaintances are also largely reciprocal; each of you brings something to the table. Usually, one person is not giving more to the relationship than the other. Both enjoy each other's company, and both impose on each other from time to time. But that's not the way a posse works. A posse should be composed of people who are willing, for whatever reason, to help you further your personal and/or professional goals. The point is not that you help each other, but that they help you. They give; you receive.

Gathering Your Posse

Where do these people come from? You would be surprised. For one thing, most people who have achieved some sort of personal or professional success in their lives are naturally predisposed to sharing the wealth of their experiences with others. I would posit that there are far more potential posse partners out there than individuals ready to take advantage of them. If you go about your day looking for relationships that could benefit you, you will find them in your extended family, at work, at clubs you belong to, at sectarian organizations you are affiliated with—all over the place. Open your eyes, be interested in talking to others for the mere sake of making contact, and you will find people willing to share their expertise and perspectives with you.

Of course, you can get professional help, as well. A professional or personal coach, therapist, clergyperson, or even your recruiter are all candidates for inclusion in your posse. The point is that you add a note to the list of goals in your professional plan (Have you written one yet?) reminding you to make an effort to include people in your posse who are willing to help you when you need them.

A New Paradigm

You are not looking for "mentors." Yes, I know that is a popular word, and I seem to recall a number of television commercials extolling the virtues of being one. But what is a mentor, anyway? In point of fact, there is not much consensus as to what the word actually means. The classically educated among you may recall that "Mentor" was originally a proper name—the name of Odysseus' old drinking buddy who was left in charge of the Ithacan king's household while he was away being the hero and fighting in the Trojan War. You may also recall that Mentor wasn't much of a mentor. He allowed Odysseus' house to be overrun by suitors to his not-yet-widowed Penelope; neither is there any evidence in the text that he cared one whit for Odysseus' son, Telemachus. In fact, it was good old Pallas Athene disguised as Mentor who gave Telemachus timely advice. Moreover, for 2,700 years, no one used the term "mentor" at all. It did not become a common noun until the late 17th century, when a French mystic and educator of kings, François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, wrote a sequel of sorts to the Odyssey (Les Aventures de Télémaque). It was there, in Salignac's fiction, that Mentor became a mentor to Telemachus, and it was then that the word entered into our vocabulary.

I do not discount the idea of mentoring merely because the word has spurious etymological roots. Rather, I discount the concept of mentoring because it carries with it an insidious sense of paternalism. The mentor is "older and wiser" and "imparts wisdom" to a "younger, less experienced" mentee. This wouldn't be so bad, but we tend to think of the person needing the mentor as being "underprivileged" or "disadvantaged" in some way. Perhaps worse, we tend to think of a one-on-one relationship. In that model, the perceptions and predispositions of the mentor invariably have a disproportionately significant effect on his mentee (paternalism again!). If you don't believe me, take a look at the glossy flyers law firms have been putting out about their diversity programs. I have seen many that show kindly, white-haired male partners sitting down with young minority attorneys. The partners look sage and wise, the associates young and eager. Bah! I do not like that image, nor do I think it is a useful one. Rather, what all of us need, at every stage of our careers, is a group of people who we can rely on to listen to our problems, act as sounding boards, and perhaps share with us some war stories. The relationship, while set up to benefit you without strings attached, should be collaborative. The point is that you should be eliciting comments from a number of people you trust and putting it all together to make good decisions. You are not in the relationship to be spoon-fed by a well-meaning "elder." You are building a network of trusted advisors who enjoy being part of a team—your team.

Just Do It

Here's some practical advice. First of all, you don't have to use the word "posse," and no one has to know he or she is in one. All that is required is that you identify individuals you consider worthy to help you out and gradually develop relationships with them. Meet for coffee. Have lunch together. Make phone calls. Send emails. If you pay attention to the process, it will be organic. There is no concrete checklist to guide this process; you have to feel your way through it. Also, remember to maintain the right attitude. You are not trying to set up codependent relationships, and you are not looking for the father or big sister you never had. Rather, you are asking new sorts of questions about your career path. Instead of asking "how" (as in "How do I get this deposition handled?" or "How do I write this brief?" or "How do I serve a guy in Kurdistan?"), you need to ask "who" (as in "Who can steer me in the right direction?" and "Who has the contacts or experience I can draw upon?"). By the way, I stole that last bit from a member of my posse (a professional coach).

So start putting your plan into action. Think about the idea of forming a posse. Write "find posse members" down on your professional plan. Start thinking about the people you already turn to (if any) or those you already know that you really should call. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." A posse can help you scout out the terrain so you don't spend days going in the wrong direction.

In Esse

The posse, as I alluded to at the outset, is all about the "in posse"—the possible. Having plans, getting advice, and making checklists are all about the possibilities you see for yourself on your career path. In the final analysis, you are building up a stockpile of potentialities ("in posse") to help you begin to realize success in your life. You want to move from the possible to the actual, the real, the "in esse." The trick, however, is that you really have to spend 95 percent of your time working on the process (the plan, the posse, the checklist, etc.) to begin to realize success. If you focus exclusively on the end result, you will either miss the boat or board the wrong one.

You may think that it is unrealistic to believe you will find successful people (however you define them) willing to take time out to talk to you. This is a reasonable concern, but an unfounded one. One of the busiest people of all time, our 16th president, enjoyed helping others. You may recall that Abraham Lincoln had a few things on his mind when he was heading the U.S. government: the breakup of the nation, a heinous war, and incompetent generals. Yet he had this to say: "I feel—though the tax on my time is heavy—that no hours of my day are better employed than those which thus bring me again within the direct contact and atmosphere of the average of our whole people."

Finally, and you knew this was coming, those potential posse members out there realize that serving in such a capacity benefits them, as well. Lincoln went on to say this about his habit of meeting with various and sundry citizens seeking audience: "I have but little time to read the papers, and gather public opinion that way [...] the effect, as a whole, is renovating and invigorating to my perceptions of responsibility and duty."

At some point, you will likely realize that your posse members find their relationships with you very rewarding. And you never know. You, too, may decide that coming to someone else's "rescue" is just the sort of challenge you are looking for.

Peter L. Smith, Esq. is the Managing Director for the San Francisco office of BCG Attorney Search. Pete is a professional legal recruiter and also writes and speaks nationally on the professional challenges faced by today's attorneys.

Peter L. Smith, Esq.
BCG Attorney Search
555 California Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94104
415.568.2201 (direct)
psmith@bcgsearch.com
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  6. No Need for Mentors: Summon Your Posse! (And Turn the ''In Posse'' into the ''In Esse.'')

published March 05, 2007

( 6 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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