Origin of Mentor. Mentor was a friend and trusted counselor of Odysseus. When Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son Telemachus. This is from Homer’s classic Greek poem duo the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Definition of Mentor. An experienced and trusted adviser. Guide, guru, counselor, consultant. There’s the travel agent and the tour guide. The travel agent books your flight, hotel, tours, and transportation. The tour guide actually takes you to your destination and shows you what to see, where to eat, and how to get there.
Why have a Mentor? One good mentor could me more informative than a college education and more valuable than a decade’s income.
Who can mentor? Someone a few levels above you in the same company. Someone you admire. Someone that is a role model.
Who cannot be your mentor? Your immediate supervisor or boss.
7 Keys for the mentor.
Ability and willingness to communicate what you know. …
Preparedness. …
Approachability, availability, and the ability to listen. …
Honesty with diplomacy. …
Inquisitiveness. …
Objectivity and fairness. …
Compassion and genuineness.
Duty to mentor. True success comes only when every generation continues to develop the next. We have a situation in Corporate America where the Baby Boomers have retired or are retiring. We cannot lose that knowledge base which needs to be passed on to Gen X and the Millennials as they represent the next generation of leaders.
Mentor Protégé Program. 71% of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA have a mentorship program. Are you taking advantage? Oh, there’s an App for that! Mentoring Software!!
Contact me if you wish for a Personal Mentor and or want to establish a Mentor/Protégé Program in your business or with your employer.
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