I started my first mentoring group in January 2010 after being inspired by Regi Campbell, author of Mentor Like Jesus. His organization, Radical Mentoring, guided me through the process and enabled me to do something I had always dreamed of doing.

Mentoring has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The first year went so well, I decided to do it again in 2011. We just wrapped up our second season. I am doing it again in 2012.

People with dreams are a dime a dozen. I meet them all the time. So do you. Some even start organizations. But few ever have the impact they initially hoped for. They just can’t seem to get their project to the next level.

Enter Praxis, a new non-profit organization set up to help social entrepreneurs build high-impact organizations. What does the name mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, praxis is the practical application of a theory.

One of the most important things you can do to grow as a leader is to read voraciously. As I have written previously, “leaders are readers and readers are leaders.”

I love learning, so this comes easily to me. My dad is a great example. Growing up, I noticed that he was always picking up a new hobby: model airplanes, photography, computers, etc. He usually started by buying a book or two on the subject and familiarizing himself with the basics. I have inherited this same habit.

A while back, Michael Smith, Associate pastor of ClearView Baptist Church in Franklin, Tennessee, interviewed me as part of a research project he was doing on leadership. I thought his questions were so powerful that I posted them on my blog under the title, “20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders.”

So much of the activity I see among leaders today is focused on reaching the masses. “Successful leaders” speak at big conferences, host popular television or radio shows, publish bestselling books, or write successful blogs. Their goal is breadth. They want to extend their influence to as many people as possible.

As you may recall, I am mentoring a group of eight young men. We meet once a month for three hours, using the excellent program from Next Generation Mentoring. In between sessions, we all read an assigned book, memorize a verse of Scripture, and complete other homework assignments.

Almost every week, I get a request from someone looking for a mentor. Frankly, I always find it difficult to say “no.” I think this is probably because I have profited so much from the various mentors I have had throughout my life and career. I also know how difficult it can be to find a good mentor.