Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World

by David McCormick

Unleash the power of transformative mentorship to transcend what is possible for leaders, aspiring mentees, and society at large. All successful leaders stand on the shoulders of their mentor giants—people who saw something in them they may not have seen in themselves and helped them redefine what was possible. The relationships transform both parties into better versions of themselves and can uplift entire organizations and even society itself. Who Believed in You shares the mentorship stories of some of our greatest leaders and influencers starting with the journeys of David McCormick and Dina Powell, and including leaders and luminaries like Mary Barra, Brian Grazer, Walter Isaacson, General H. R. McMaster, and many others. It unpacks the four critical elements of transformative mentorship—trust, change, investment, and confidence—and offers guideposts and powerful illustrations from actual mentorship journeys that both show the way and inspire. Along with insights and research from Jeffrey Sonnenfeld (Yale School of Management), David and Dina share how transformative mentoring can be the unifying force we need to move forward as a society. Dina draws on her experience moving to America as a small child and how her grandmother supported her dream to pursue a career in politics despite the worries from her parents that it was too risky. Dina is now Global Head of Sustainability and Inclusive Growth at Goldman Sachs. David also shares how mentors in his life inspired him to keep going and reach higher to eventually rise to the position of CEO of Bridgewater Associates.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Leadership

320 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Swaying Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro con mucha información valiosa, lleno de ejemplos de grandes mentores y cómo influyen en la sociedad y en su país. Todo gira alrededor de Estados Unidos. Me hubiera gustado que tuviera un enfoque más introspectivo, con reflexiones sobre cómo ser líder a partir de las pequeñas cosas de la vida. Me quedé inspirada con la trayectoria de la girl boss Tory Burch, que crack esa mujer.

[Maria Sauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, just a bit repetitive.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core premise of Who Believed In You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World is that the U.S. is experiencing a great crisis (loss of trust) and that purposeful mentorship is the means to restore trust. To their credit, the authors seem deeply passionate and committed to this ideal.

The book unveils four key principles of purposeful mentorship (trustworthiness, values, commitment, and confidence) that are unpacked through a combination of author explanation and interviews with successful people. The second part of the book continues with interviews and focuses on some of the more practical elements of this approach to mentoring.

The interviews, indeed, are one of the book's strongest aspects. Each was succinct and interesting, and I enjoyed hearing perspectives from leaders of differing backgrounds who’ve achieved great success but aren’t necessarily household names. That said, the “name-dropping” sprinkled throughout the authors’ own recounting of their experience can be too much at times.

My chief complaint about this book is its nauseatingly high emphasis on “The American Dream.” Much of the narrative and the examples it highlights take a “pull up your bootstraps” approach to achieving success. Does it have its place? Sure, but the authors also speedily gloss over any deep discussion of real and impactful societal inequities, leading to a one-sided view of success and how it can be achieved.

For all its focus on success, Who Believed in You rarely emphasizes failures or lessons to be learned from them. The examples given almost always show that transformative mentorship leads to incredible personal success, but what about when it doesn’t? What about when, even in spite of world-class mentorship, failure inevitably happens? I think it was a missed opportunity to develop a wider view of success in the context of failure.

Ultimately, this is an easy, straightforward read that raises some salient points regarding our current society and rightly points to mentorship as having the potential to have a transformative impact. However, an overemphasis on the American Dream and an avoidance of discussion around failure mean that I won’t readily recommend it to others unless I know it’ll be in their wheelhouse.

[Kristen Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Powell McCormick and McCormick present Who Believed in You? a book about transformative mentoring and the belief of how being a transformative mentor can help rebuild trust and unity within the United States.

Our authors organize the text well and lay out the foundation of transformative mentorship with four pillars: trustworthiness, values, commitment, and trust. Powell McCormick and McCormick argue that these four pillars create the foundation for a positive, healthy, and effective mentorship/mentee relationship.

Throughout the book, they discuss other factors of mentorship including how communities, concepts, and even the most unlikely individuals can serve as valuable mentors. Powell McCormick and MCormick also discuss how to handle when a mentor/mentee relationship no longer works. Something that can be awkward, but possible.

I found all of the above to be incredibly helpful and enlightening when it came to my own journey as a mentor. What I do wish was done differently are the following:

Despite claiming to keep politics out of writing, there was a very “America first” tone to the book and many of the people interviewed were right wing conservatives. Maybe this was coincidental but it lent a certain tone to the book that seemed to go against the message of neutrality when it comes to politics in the book.

I also wish that more “real” people were interviewed. While I’m guessing that most interviewees were CEOs and heads of large companies was to show us how powerful people became powerful through mentors, it was hard to relate. I would have loved to see teachers, social workers, and blue collar workers included. The book would become so much more accessible.

Last but not least I felt that a good chunk of the book was repetitive. Ideas, phrases, etc. were repeated throughout the book, not for effect, but as filler.

While I did gain valuable insight, a good chunk of this book simply could have been written in a more accessible, neutral, user friendly way.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Who Believed In You* offers an intriguing exploration of mentorship and its profound impact on success. Through a collection of mentor/mentee stories from well-known figures, the book effectively highlights the importance of having someone who believes in you. It serves as a reflective piece, encouraging readers to acknowledge and appreciate those who have played a transformative role in their own lives.

The personal anecdotes make for engaging reading, though the book leans heavily into name-dropping, which can sometimes feel more like a showcase of connections than an insightful deep dive. Additionally, while the theme is inspiring, it lacks guidance on how to actively seek out mentorship, leaving readers with admiration for these relationships but little practical direction on fostering their own. There’s also a noticeable political tone, which may not appeal to all audiences.

Overall, *Who Believed In You* is a compelling read for those interested in mentorship, success stories, and personal growth. It excels at providing thought-provoking narratives but could benefit from more actionable advice on finding mentors in everyday life.

[Ron Jaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

KUDOS to the authors for creating this ‘starfish’ project for TRANSFORMATIONAL MENTORING!!!!!
Americans are truly TIRED of all the political polarization! Most want to life in a PEACEFUL SOCIETY in which we can FIND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, RAISE OUR KIDS TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE CONTRIBUTING ADULTS and, if blessed, ENJOY OUR GRANDCHILDREN.

WHY have Americans LOST confidence in government, corporate and educational leaders????? We CANNOT continue down the path of verbal and legalistic Civil War. If this continues, we will self destruct just like the Roman culture and many others.

So what’s a RIGHT COURSE to AVOID DESTRUCTION????
Read this book and DO WHAT’S SUGGESTED!!

SHALOM to America

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book examines the impact of mentoring on individuals' success in the world. The book features numerous examples of successful mentor-mentee relationships. While the first few were interesting and informative, the content did become repetitive after a while. However, it helps remind us to remember those who helped us and to pass that example on to others. If you are interested in the mentoring process, this book would be a good resource for examples. Thank you to Harper Horizon for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Vince Chiaramonte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Piece of garbage by a Trump puppet who lacks the backbone to do the right thing.

[Theresa]

I couldn't read this. It's just story after story showing examples but I was not interested.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the concept of transformative mentorship and its power. However, these ideas are more article length than book length, so there is a lot of redundancy.

[Ink Drinker · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, I was turned off by the amount of name drops in the first chapter. It was excessive. 🙄

[Martin Hanaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some very interesting anecdotes but nothing breakthru here

[Yaniv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive, too hopeful for the real world most of us live in, but maybe that is this book's charm.