# Leadership Lounge: Leadership Under Fire: How Mentorship Can Help C-suites Turn Headwinds Into Opportunity Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-leadership-under-fire-how-mentorship-can-help-c-suites-turn-headwinds-into-opportunity Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-leadership-under-fire-how-mentorship-can-help-c-suites-turn-headwinds-into-opportunity.md Podcast: [Redefiners](https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317) Published: 2025-08-13T04:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/redefiners Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/74755d/audio-delivery.cohostpodcasting.com/audio/6df349ec-d648-450e-b4dc-18c7bb07e8d3/episodes/9f439c55-15d1-46d5-8c45-0e757243b9fc/episode.mp3?v=5c761cacb6 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/redefiners-4103317/episodes/leadership-lounge-leadership-under-fire-how-mentorship-can-help-c-suites-turn-headwinds-into-opportunity Duration seconds: 1139 ## Resource C-suite executives face an unprecedented cascade of simultaneous challenges—AI transformation, regulatory upheaval, geopolitical instability, and economic turbulence. Unlike previous generations who weathered single crises, today’s leaders must navigate sustained uncertainty that many have never experienced before.    So, how can the right mentor transform leadership under pressure? And what makes mentorship relationships truly effective for senior executives?    In this episode of Leadership Lounge , we talk to three of our trusted advisors— Kurt Harrison , Amanda Foster , and Jeffrey Cheng —who share their perspectives on:  Why seeking the support of a mentor doesn’t equate to weakness  Why finding mentors with experiential alignment is more important than industry experience  Why vulnerability and authenticity are critical in building fruitful mentor-mentee relationships  The common mistakes leaders make when entering mentorship engagements    "Mentorship is not remedial. It's developmental, and it's all part of an agile, constantly learning mindset, which keeps executives fresh in how they look at the future rather than looking backwards."     Amanda Foster, Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates    Four things you'll learn from this episode:   Seek mentors who've weathered multiple crises—their battle-tested wisdom is invaluable when facing today's sustained uncertainty.  Mentorship isn't remedial—it's about gaining fresh perspectives that keep even experienced leaders sharp.  Having an external mentor means a leader can be vulnerable without career consequences—they can discuss real struggles openly.  Come prepared with clear goals and be genuinely open—mentorship i… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/redefiners-4103317/episodes/leadership-lounge-leadership-under-fire-how-mentorship-can-help-c-suites-turn-headwinds-into-opportunity/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-leadership-under-fire-how-mentorship-can-help-c-suites-turn-headwinds-into-opportunity.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.