Written by: Dimitris Papadimitriou
Original LinkedIn Post

Role Model: The Mentor You Never Met!

As humans, we often find ourselves in situations where we are uncertain of how to react or behave to achieve our desired outcome. While seeking advice from a mentor or friend may be helpful, it can also be time-consuming and not always practical.

Has it ever happened to you? How can you respond in such a situation? Oh wait! You can ask your mentor! But that takes time. Maybe you can ask one or some friends. But this too takes time and effort. What if there is no time left over at that time? You can consult google; but okay, can you always trust the sources?

In such cases, the concept of a role model can be useful. A role model is someone whose behavior we can study and emulate to help us navigate challenging situations. In other words, "How would Obama, Steve Jobs, Antonis or George react in my place?”. A role model is someone you can recall in your mind at the right time to "copy" a set of behaviors that will help you cope.

This is the fundamental reason why for us at Business Pathways Role Models play an important part in our Personal Branding workshops. In this article, we will explore the concept of role models and how they can benefit in your personal and professional lives, boosting your personal brand and overall professional advancement.

Discover the Concept of Role Models

A bit of nice-to-know theory. The idea of a role model was first introduced by sociologist Robert Merton (1910 – 2003). He suggested that people often compare themselves with well-known individuals who set a good example in society.

In the theory of social groups, he found that people compare themselves with well-known people who act as reference units (status quo), usually occupy a social role and set a good (or bad) example, known and filtered / recognized by society. Comparison is usually subconscious, unless one consciously invokes a role model to adopt desired behaviors.

A role model can be someone famous or someone we know personally, such as a former manager or co-worker. The gender of a role model is usually irrelevant, although in certain situations, a female role model may be more valuable to a woman.

Role models can come from various fields such as entrepreneurship, politics, arts and education, social media, sports, and sciences. There are no limits or restrictions! The important thing is that they possess a set of behaviors that you can learn from.

Understand How Role Models Can Help

As previously stated Role Models provide a set of behaviors that we can observe and emulate to help us cope in challenging situations. By recalling a role model's behavior, you can "copy" their actions and achieve the desired outcomes.

While you may not have met or known your role model personally, you can still learn from them by studying their behavior through reading, watching, or researching. The difference between a role model and a mentor is that a role model provides a constant source of inspiration and guidance, while a mentor offers specific advice and support.

Having a positive role model can offer a range of useful and acceptable behaviors, while "negative" role models can help us avoid negative behaviors.

Unlock the Power of Role Models

Consciously choosing role models can be beneficial in your personal and professional life. By studying their behavior and emulating their actions, you can learn new behaviors and cope in situations either new or challenging.

However, it is important to remember to stay authentic and not copy a role model entirely. You should customize their behaviors to create your personal brand and not present yourself as an exact copy. No one likes copy-cats.

As Robert Merton suggested, we don't memorize a single behavior, but rather a set of behaviors, and by choosing our role models carefully, we can shape our personalities and become better versions of ourselves.

So use Role Models as the mentors you never met!