Who’s your mentor?

Chris Dimos, SVP of corporate strategy and business development at McKesson

It’s not about you anymore. If you’re a great mentor, it’s not about your career development; it’s not about what you get out of the relationship. It’s all about your mentee and their personal development.

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That was the key message McKesson SVP of corporate strategy and business development Chris Dimos had for attendees of the first-ever Future Leaders Summit.



Dimos’ take on mentoring has been shaped by his leadership philosophy, which is built on five core principles — courageous leadership, called leadership, craved leadership, compromised leadership and capable leadership.



Courageous leadership “confronts the myth that one person can’t make a difference,” he said. “Kill that myth. One person can make a difference. If you’re a mentor, it can make a difference in your life and in your business.”



Called leadership, Dimos explained, means “when you’re asked to lead — you lead; you dive in with both feet.” Craved leadership is about understanding that people want to be led and using that knowledge to develop yourself as a leader.



Compromised leadership implies an understanding of the importance of integrity, as “the only person you answer to,” Dimos said. Capable leadership turns the lens inward and asks: “Do you have the right DNA? Are you working on your leadership style and are you continuing the experience [you need] to get better?”



And it is critically important to distinguish between the role of a mentor and that of a role model, Dimos explained. Mentors take an active role in the relationship, whereas a role model is someone who is observed and emulated from a distance. Role models lack one key quality that exists at the heart of any meaningful mentor/ mentee relationship — one-on-one interaction.



“If you’re going to be a mentor, it’s one-on-one,” he said. “You engage on a regular basis. It is necessary to be active in this relationship.”



Dimos, who actively works with a number of emerging young leaders, said the list of characteristics that define effective mentorship begins with the ability to listen intently and to be present during every interaction. In fact, he does not allow himself to be distracted by any electronic devices during those interactions. Also critical, he said, is the ability to meet your mentee where they are in their journey and guide them toward their goals.



“Typically, there are several questions from a mentee,” said Dimos. Instead, Dimos is the one who asks the questions. “My mentees know I’m not going to just give them the answer; they know I’m going to ask them enough questions that they get there themselves. “Indeed, Dimos knows a few things about the importance of a good mentor.



One of his first — and most important — mentors was his father, a serial entrepreneur, Dimos explained, who left a promising career to take over the family restaurant. The most important advice his father ever gave him: It’s OK to fail — as long as you’re learning.



Another of Dimos’ important mentors was former American Drug Stores/American Stores/Albertsons/Supervalu chief Kevin Tripp. Tripp, who was EVP and president of the drug store division and pharmacy at Albertsons at the time that Dimos was overseeing managed care, procurement, and systems/process redesign for the company, helped guide him through one of the most challenging chapters — and defining moments — of his career. At the time, Dimos had argued that Albertsons should opt out of California’s worker’s compensation prescription program in the face of a proposed decrease in the state’s reimbursement rate. Rather than try to instruct him one way or the other, Tripp kept asking the questions Dimos would need to answer to find his way in his face-off with then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.



“He gave me the fortitude to [stick it out until] California changed the Medicaid and the workman’s compensation rate,” Dimos said. “As soon as they did, we jumped back in,” Dimos said.



“Sound advice,” he added. “Trust. Listen. Help me think through the issues. A guided personal struggle — just continue to ask the right questions until you get to the right answer.”