How Mentorship Creates the Ultimate Return on Investment
Updated: Mar 27, 2025
Chris Harris is an international keynote speaker and executive coach who focuses on helping others transform their mindset to improve their performance in sales, leadership, and life. He has trained hundreds of companies from over 60 countries, authored eight books, and has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
My heroes are not the people I admire and respect the most. Instead, they are those kind and thoughtful souls who believed in me when nobody else did, perhaps not even myself. I will never forget those who have inspired me, encouraged me, and challenged me along my journey. I hope that I always continue to pay it forward by sharing the expert power I’ve gained along the way with those who need it most, just like I needed it.
Some of my mentors have poured into my life, others have sprinkled me just at the right time, and there are those who doused me with a bucket of cold water when I couldn’t get out of my own way. Then there are those whom I’ve never met who have invested in my life, like Zig Ziglar and Napoleon Hill, just to name a few. A great deal of what I know about selling with integrity and purpose I learned through Zig Ziglar’s books, and Napoleon Hill taught me the significance of having a positive mental attitude, with words that he penned more than 80 years ago. Who believed in you the most? Who has mentored you? Who has shared their expert power with you?
Across the street from my high school was an old white farmhouse that sat on several acres of land, with a small building the size of a two-car garage positioned off to the side. Frank Grant, an internationally recognized martial arts expert, lived there. He had converted the small building into a dojo to teach Okinawan Shorin-Ryu three times a week. Although his rates were very reasonable at the time, I didn’t have the money. But I desperately wanted to learn from this incredible man. Through his kindness, he agreed to let me (a clueless 15-year-old boy) work off my monthly dues by doing trivial things, such as arriving to class early and cleaning the dojo, paying meticulous attention to the hardwood floors.
A few decades later, I sent him a heartfelt email, not knowing if he would ever receive it, let alone remember me. In my email, I expressed my sincere gratitude for the life-changing impact he had on me as a boy and how I had made martial arts my profession, thanks in part to his positive influence on my life. To my surprise, I got a response. Remaining true to form, he stated that he was proud to be instrumental in my journey, followed by a few other encouraging remarks that I have locked away in my heart.
As an adult, I am always on the lookout for mentors and mentees, as I firmly believe we need both to maintain a healthy equilibrium between our spirit, soul, and body. The primary quality I look for in a mentor is their mastery of the subject that I am seeking to develop further in myself. In other words, if my goal is to become more fit, I will seek someone who is fit (and had to work to obtain it). When it comes to mentoring someone, I prefer to invest my time in those who are teachable, have a positive attitude, are grateful, and are ready to do the work. I believe that sharing the power we accumulate on our journey is a key component to creating a fulfilling life. It is our contribution to others that puts steam in our stride and purpose in our hearts. Experience has taught me that by sharing my power, I will always have more.
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Chris Harris, Keynote Speaker & Executive Coach
After overcoming a tumultuous childhood and through his countless experiences teaching close-quarters combat to elite warriors, Chris Harris has witnessed firsthand the transformational power of having a healthy mindset and choosing the proper perspective. As a captivating keynote speaker, he uses his life stories of enduring homelessness, overcoming adversity, and achieving fulfillment and success to inspire, encourage, and challenge his audience to obtain the life they want by using the tools they already possess.
