Relationship 1 of 3
Your Paul
The Mentor — someone further along who invests in your formation
A Paul is honest with you, specific in their instruction, willing to advocate for you in rooms you're not yet in, and invested in your growth as a whole person — not just your output.
Look for someone further along in the specific journey you're on — not necessarily older in years, just ahead in the terrain you're navigating. Ask yourself: whose character, wisdom, and track record do I most want to grow into? Most mentors don't go looking for people to invest in — they respond to people who approach them with clarity and humility. Come prepared. Follow through. Report back.
Relationship 2 of 3
Your Barnabas
The Peer — someone in the same season, walking beside you
A Barnabas understands what only someone at the same level can understand. This relationship runs on mutual honesty — the kind that requires vulnerability most leaders find genuinely difficult.
This is the relationship most leaders let go of first when life gets busy — and the hardest one to rebuild in the middle of a crisis. Think of one peer walking a similar road. Build the relationship now, in an ordinary season, so the resource is there when you need it. Start small: one honest conversation this week.
Relationship 3 of 3
Your Timothy
The Protégé — someone earlier in the journey you're pouring into
You do not need to have arrived to invest in someone behind you. Teaching sharpens what you know. And the chain of 2 Timothy 2:2 only holds if every generation accepts the responsibility of the one before it.
You don't need to have arrived to invest in someone earlier in the journey than you. Think of one person a step or two behind you. What's one thing you've learned recently that they need to hear? Offer it — not as an expert, but as someone a few steps ahead who is still learning too.
We'll send your map and occasional notes from Young and In Charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Names and notes you enter above stay in your browser and only appear on your own printed map — they are never sent anywhere.