Frequently asked questions on Mentorship.
EVERYONE NEEDS A MENTOR!
What is Mentoring?
Mentoring is far more intentional than simply ministering to somebody when he or she is hurting, or motivating him or her when down, or giving him or her an example to follow.
Mentoring is when you take an interest in a person’s life and commit to helping him or her along.
Who then is a mentor?
A mentor is simply an experienced, trusted counselor or guide, a teacher.
What do you look for in a mentor?
You look for experience.
You look for perspective, and
You look for somebody you can trust.
What is the origin of Mentorship?
The word “MENTOR” comes from Homer’s poem, “The Odyssey.”
When the king goes off to fight the Trojan War, he leaves his kingdom in the hands of a trusted counselor named Mentor. Mentor teaches and raises the king’s son. That is where we get the word “mentor.”
What does a Mentor do for you?
A mentor is like a personal coach. Everybody needs a personal coach and needs to be a personal coach. Personal coaches bring out the best in you, because they see in you, things that you don’t see in yourself.
A mentor helps you with three key areas
Your Role - What do you do in life?
Your Goal - What are you accomplishing in life?
Your Soul - What are you becoming in life?
Mentors help you become what you can become.
What is the relevance of Mentorship to education?
All education used to be done by mentors. In the middle Ages, there were no schools. You would be apprenticed to a master craftsman, and he would train you one on one. That was how people learnt crafts to become shoemakers, welders or one of many other crafts.
Are Mentors necessary in these days where all information/knowledge is available online?
Today mentors are used more than ever before. They use mentors in the military, management, work, sales, sports, schools, and politics. No athlete would think of signing to be a pro without a coach. Pavarotti would not think of singing without a vocal coach. Even presidents have their mentors.
Why? Because no matter how successful you are or how successful you think you are, you always need a mentor. You will need one the rest of your life. It is how you get to the top. You have got to have people who are speaking into your life.
So why aren’t people getting Mentors?
A recent survey of employees revealed that 39% of respondents don’t know how to approach a mentor, 36% don’t have a mentoring program in their company, 12% are receiving support from friends and family, 7% are not sure of the impact a mentor could provide so don’t bother, while 7% are too busy to look for a mentor.
How do I find a Mentor?
To transform the power of proximity, a Mentee must be available and proximate. It is the Mentee’s responsibility to seek out the Mentor for suitable appointment and also seek to be with the Mentor as often as possible. Make sure you make a list of what you will like to discusss before the meeting. When you are with a leader who is mentoring you, ask them questions, like "who do you know that I should know?” Who you know will get you a foot into most places, but you have to earn the right to your Mentor’s network by building a relationship with your desired mentor. Don't squander the opportunity with that leader when you get the chance. Get more than an autograph or a Selfie from them.
In conclusion, it is wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Get a mentor today.
What is Mentoring?
Mentoring is far more intentional than simply ministering to somebody when he or she is hurting, or motivating him or her when down, or giving him or her an example to follow.
Mentoring is when you take an interest in a person’s life and commit to helping him or her along.
Who then is a mentor?
A mentor is simply an experienced, trusted counselor or guide, a teacher.
What do you look for in a mentor?
You look for experience.
You look for perspective, and
You look for somebody you can trust.
What is the origin of Mentorship?
The word “MENTOR” comes from Homer’s poem, “The Odyssey.”
When the king goes off to fight the Trojan War, he leaves his kingdom in the hands of a trusted counselor named Mentor. Mentor teaches and raises the king’s son. That is where we get the word “mentor.”
What does a Mentor do for you?
A mentor is like a personal coach. Everybody needs a personal coach and needs to be a personal coach. Personal coaches bring out the best in you, because they see in you, things that you don’t see in yourself.
A mentor helps you with three key areas
Your Role - What do you do in life?
Your Goal - What are you accomplishing in life?
Your Soul - What are you becoming in life?
Mentors help you become what you can become.
What is the relevance of Mentorship to education?
All education used to be done by mentors. In the middle Ages, there were no schools. You would be apprenticed to a master craftsman, and he would train you one on one. That was how people learnt crafts to become shoemakers, welders or one of many other crafts.
Are Mentors necessary in these days where all information/knowledge is available online?
Today mentors are used more than ever before. They use mentors in the military, management, work, sales, sports, schools, and politics. No athlete would think of signing to be a pro without a coach. Pavarotti would not think of singing without a vocal coach. Even presidents have their mentors.
Why? Because no matter how successful you are or how successful you think you are, you always need a mentor. You will need one the rest of your life. It is how you get to the top. You have got to have people who are speaking into your life.
So why aren’t people getting Mentors?
A recent survey of employees revealed that 39% of respondents don’t know how to approach a mentor, 36% don’t have a mentoring program in their company, 12% are receiving support from friends and family, 7% are not sure of the impact a mentor could provide so don’t bother, while 7% are too busy to look for a mentor.
How do I find a Mentor?
- The most important thing to know is never to ask a stranger, or someone you just admire without knowing them deeply to be your Mentor. This is why I am unable to accept many of the requests I get to be a mentor.
- Your mentor would be someone who knows you, and would have observed your potential from various interactions with you. Typically the mentor would need to like you, trust and believe in your potential for them to be inspired to help you.
- Look for people you know who are several steps ahead of you in your field, role, or industry, doing what you want to, in the way you want to, people who will find it a mutually-rewarding and beneficial experience to support you.
- Lastly, you will need to be able to convince the mentor that their efforts would not be wasted, but that you will use their input and feedback.
To transform the power of proximity, a Mentee must be available and proximate. It is the Mentee’s responsibility to seek out the Mentor for suitable appointment and also seek to be with the Mentor as often as possible. Make sure you make a list of what you will like to discusss before the meeting. When you are with a leader who is mentoring you, ask them questions, like "who do you know that I should know?” Who you know will get you a foot into most places, but you have to earn the right to your Mentor’s network by building a relationship with your desired mentor. Don't squander the opportunity with that leader when you get the chance. Get more than an autograph or a Selfie from them.
In conclusion, it is wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Get a mentor today.
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