“Stop handing out brochures. Start walking beside your founders”.
The most effective mentorship happens when you engage, not just advise. Leaders grow through shared experience, not pamphlets.
Search data shows “startup mentoring” and “founder coaching” now exceed 30,000 monthly queries. Founders crave contextual guidance, not just pre-packaged checklists. They need Tour Guide mentors — leaders who share terrain, not just itineraries.
In this article, I draw on my forty-year journey across defence, corporates, startups, and investments. I blend lessons from my book Achieving Success by Failing More with essays from Beyond Business Labyrinths. Each idea follows a simple rhythm and has a takeaway or learning point, along with a framework.
#1. Clarity Over Complexity: The Dharma Compass
Ever met a founder chasing every hot technology — AI, Web3, blockchain — but missing a true purpose? I have. She was driven but directionless.
Takeaway: Speed is nothing without a sense of direction. Clarity beats complexity every time.
Ask yourself: Have you ever felt lost despite having the perfect plan? What guided you back?
