As a lifelong seeker of knowledge I’ve learned much from others. Some of these people would be surprised because the weren’t tryiing to teach me anything. We often don’t realize what our actions say about us. Modeling to elicit a desired behavior is an old tool, but not one that works just when we take it out of the box. We would do well to remember this!
I recently asked a question on LinkedIn about people’s mentors. I received alot of positive responses. some more in depth than others. This made me question: Is there a difference between a mentor and a role model? Probably a moot point but I would say a role model can be anyone, sports stars, nobel prize winners, etc. My definition of a mentor is someone who you’ve had contact with, that makes an impact on who you choose to be, who helps you grow as an individual. Not necessarily someone who specifically takes you under their wing and nurtures your growth. Others may disagree with this definition..ok you can. Moving on…
Why should someone take the time to mentor? Simply because life is a long hard road and we make more progress as intelligent beings if we exchange knowledge with others. The internet will play a big role in this in the future. but that’s another thread I think.
Why should we care to make the way easier for others, well I think I answered this already but I’ll give you a case in point.
Her name is Julie Gray, she taught me a great deal. We worked closely together in a volunteer group, though we’ve long since lost touch, I still want to thank her. I frequently use one of the most valuable lessons learned from her: how to address a problem, and how to discuss it with others. She explained once why she always did this. Not to whine or gain sympathy, but to gain knowledge. “How will you know if someone else has the answer, or maybe they have the same experience and you find the problem is more widespread- maybe you actually have a different problem than you thought.” She had an amazing talent in locating the root of a problem and orchestrating a fix. By doing this she was also able to enlighten others as to how the problem was able to develop, and to take measures to see the environement didn’t continue, allowing a problem to resurface.
Mentoring as an organized activity rises and falls in popularity, but is a part of our daily life whether we’re aware we’re doing it or not. Who are you mentoring? What lessons are you teaching? Post a comment to share.
Tags: JOY
May 9, 2008 at 12:21 pm |
hey, just chanced upon your profile on linkedin, and through there came to your blog. pretty intense stuff i would call… but i like it, and wish more people would bring it out that way, rather than covering up their thoughts in a politically correct and in the same old format.
unfortunately i haven’t seen the answers to your question on mentoring, but yeah, unofficially we all are what we are due to some unofficial mentoring. keep it up.