The Invisible Mentor

Archive for the ‘Self-Help’ Category

There is truth to the adage that if you show me your company I will tell you for you are. What are your goals in life? What percentage of the time do you accomplish the things that you want in life? If you seldom meet your goals and objectives, it probably is time to look at the people in your sphere of influence.

Who do you spend your time with? Who influences you? There is a story floating around the internet which says that Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame was lamenting to Tony Robbins about not achieving his results. You see, Hansen wanted to move to billionaire from multi-millionaire status. Robbins asked Hansen how many billionaires he was hanging around and it turns out, none.

The point of this story is to demonstrate that whatever you are trying to achieve in life, hang around people who have achieved those same goals and objectives.

What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right side) by email or RSS Feed.

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Thank you for being you, and thank you for reading my blog. In life we take too many things for granted, and get caught up in the busyness of our lives. I am trying to be more intentional about saying thanks, and letting others know that I care about them. Is there someone who you have been thinking of giving a call to? Why not take a few minutes and make the call now.

For my undergraduate degree, I attended the University of Calgary, and they had an alumni event this evening in Toronto at the National Club. The guest speaker was Johann Olav Koss, President of Right to Play a non-profit organization that uses “use sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace among children and communities.”

If you cannot view the YouTube video of I Believe in You click here

It was an inspirational and very uplifting evening. Johann shared an experience he had at 11 years old when he told his grandmother that he was going to become a doctor like his parents and win medals for speed skating. His grandmother told him that he could accomplish anything that he wanted, and that if he intended to do so many things he should eat his food. He wasn’t particularly good in school, though he was good in science, and he wasn’t good at speed skating. Despite that, he accomplished those goals because someone important to him believed in him. He became a doctor, and he has won five Olympic medals in speed skating. Do you support the important people in your life? Imagine what a difference it would make in your world if someone believed in you. I BELIEVE IN YOU, so go climb your Mt. Everest because I know that you can do it.

If you cannot view the YouTube video of I Believe in You (Lion King) click here

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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Have you had your laugh for today? May 2nd was World Laughter Day, when was the last time you had a good laugh, the one that comes from the bottom of your belly? I have always heard that laughter is good for the soul and whoever coined that phrase was on to something.

World Laughter Day celebrated on the first Sunday of May,

“was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. Its popularity has grown exponentially with that of the Laughter Yoga movement (now counting over 6000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents)” according to Wikipedia.

If you cannot view the video click here.

A few years ago I participated in Laughter Yoga and the classes were a lot more fun when we had teenagers in the group. They knew how to really get into laughing for no reason, and the adults would laugh because they were having so much fun. After a good bout of laughter, I was always in a very good mood. We were encouraged to be intentional about laughing every day. At first you feel silly and forced, but shortly after you really get into it. Have you ever attended Laughter Yoga classes?

An article in the Halifax Herald on January 20, 2002, titled “The best medicine: We laugh because it’s good for us; mirth is a kind of social glue,” reported that “Young children are estimated to laugh over 300 times a day – a reason why they seem to have more obvious fun than adults who average 20 times daily… On average, men and women produced the same number of laughs, but men tended to laugh a “bit longer” than women.” Get out and get laughing and Happy World Laughter Day to you.

Let’s keep the laughter flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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The Internet has been abuzz over the past few weeks with Napoleon Hill‘s Invisible Counselors, but is this technique different from Invisible Mentors? Are people going to turn The Invisible Counselor Technique into a fad like “The Secret” movie where viewers thought they could visualize a goal and have it manifest without taking action, instead of taking the time to do things the correct way. Is there really an easy way out?

This post is my reaction to the concept of Invisible Counselors. Please refer to Vishen Lakhiani’s original post “Napoleon Hill’s Weird “Invisible Counselor Technique” and Why it Inspired (and Scared) So Many People.” It’s a great post and the video is a great complement to the written information in the post. See the video below. What critical component did Napoleon Hill omit in his technique?

If you cannot view the video click here. I got a copy of Think and Grow Rich because I wanted to go to the source to present the facts to you, and I wanted to better understand Invisible Counselors. Many people have said that Think and Grown Rich was one of the books that had a profound impact on their life. I wasn’t one of those people, and I didn’t enjoy the book when I first read it. However, I thought that Earl Nightingale did a nice summary of the book. I am at the point where I am ready to re-read Think and Grow Rich and see if my reaction is different seven years later.

The Invisible Counselor is discussed at length in Chapter 14, “The Sixth Sense: the Door to the Temple of Wisdom.” I must preface my comments by saying that I do believe in the power of the subconscious mind and the sixth sense. Here is what the book says about Invisible Counselors.

“While I was passing through the age of “hero worship” I found myself trying to imitate those whom I most admired… I followed the habit of reshaping my own character by trying to imitate the nine men whose lives and life works had been most impressive to me. These nine men were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Paine, Thomas Edison, Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, Luther Burbank, Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie. Every night, over a long period of years, I held an imaginary council meeting with this group whom I called my “Invisible Counselors.” [I added in the last name of Hill's nine Invisible Counselors]

The procedure was this. Just before going to sleep at night, I would shut my eyes and see, in my imagination, this group of men seated with me around my council table. Here I had not only an opportunity to sit among those whom I considered to be great, but I actually dominated the group by serving as the Chairman.

I had a very definite purpose in indulging my imagination through these nightly meetings. My purpose was to rebuild my own character so it would represent a composite of the characters of my imaginary counselors….

These meetings became so realistic that I started to be fearful of their consequences, and discontinued them for several months. The experiences were so uncanny. I was afraid if I continued them I would lose sight of the fact that the meetings were purely experiences of my imagination….

I began to add new members to my cabinet. Now it consists of more than 50, among them Christ, St. Paul, Galileo, Copernicus, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, Voltaire, Bruno, Spinoza, Drummond, Kant, Schopenhauer, Newton, Confucius, Elbert Hubbard, Brann, Ingersol, Wilson and William James….”

In the technique, Hill called on each of his nine Invisible Counselor and was very specific about what he required from them. For example,

“Mr Darwin, I wish to acquire from you the marvelous patience and ability to study cause and effect without bias or prejudice so exemplified by you in the field of natural science.

Mr Carnegie, I am already indebted to you for my choice of a life work, which has brought me great happiness and peace of mind. I wish to acquire a thorough understanding of the principles of organized effort, which you used so effectively in the building of a great industrial enterprise.

My method of addressing the members of  the imaginary cabinet would vary according to the traits of character which I was most interested in acquiring at the time. I studied the records of their lives with painstaking care. After some months of this nightly procedure, I was astounded by the discovery that these imaginary figures became, apparently, real.”

Please click here to read Chapter 14 on page 134 of the electronic version. What Napoleon Hill refers to as Invisible Counselors are what I call Invisible Mentors. From the cited text from Think and Grow Rich, the nine Invisible Counselors are people who Hill admired, and he imitated them, which suggests that he studied them, which is exactly what I advocate for your Invisible Mentors. I suggest that you become so steeped in your Invisible Mentors that you could ask and answer “What would Invisible Mentor 1 do in this situation?”

Below is an Invisible Mentor slide that I created over seven months ago. After I finished viewing it today for inclusion in this blog post, I realized that I have to update it because my views have expanded, because my knowledge has grown, which is a good thing. How has your knowledge changed in the past six months?

Many people viewing the video “The Most Controversial Personal Growth Technique Ever,” may think that they can use the technique to mentally call on successful people to answer their questions, or generate great ideas without any initial work. Hill spent decades studying successful people so his subconscious mind had a place to start. From my previous posts on generating creative ideas and creative problem solving, the process is preparation, incubation, illumination and verification/implementation.

So what did Napoleon Hill Omit? Hill did not omit anything from what I have read from Think and Grow Rich, the video neglected to mention that when Hill started using the Invisible Counselor Technique he used nine people whose lives and life works had been most impressive to him. To me, that means he had studied these people. This is a major omission from the video. Also, he practiced the technique each night over a long period of years. This also suggests that Hill practiced the technique until he mastered it. Statistics floating around suggest that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.

This is an important lesson to always go to the source if you are able to, otherwise you’ll never know what critical piece of information you are missing. What are your thoughts on Invisible Counselors? Which five of Hill’s Invisible Counselors would you choose as Invisible Mentors? Now that you are familiar with Invisible Mentors from reading this blog, would you chair an Invisible Mentor Council Meeting? And if yes, what would you hope to achieve?

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For an electronic copy of Think and Grow Rich, please click here.

Further Reading

The Sixth Sense: The Door to the Temple of Wisdom – The Thirteenth Step toward Riches

My mind wandered back to several years ago when I was feeling down, and as if all my efforts were in vain. During that period, one day I was in a Hallmark store and was led to the poem Don’t Quit. It was the first time that I had seen that poem. The poem gave me the answer I needed, and I felt comforted. I felt like the universe was telling me that I needed to continue what I was doing, and to keep the faith. Have you ever felt that way? If yes, what do you do to keep going? What do you do when things are taking much longer that expected? What do you do when nothing seems to be going right?

I am not sure why this popped into my mind because I have no intention of quitting, neither do I feel the urge to quit. I know that I am on the right path, yes I have taken detours at times, but it has made for a more colorful life.

The image to the right gives a great perspective with the graying out of the words so that the focus is on DO IT, instead of Don’t Quit. Maybe I am led to write this post because this is a message that you need to hear today. Perhaps you need comforting. So, take a break, read the poem below and listen to the Bob Marley song Three Little Birds (Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is going to be alright.) More importantly is that I have learned to trust my instincts, so I am writing this post because it needs writing.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

If you cannot view the You Tube video of Bob Marley please click here.

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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Video Credit: You Tube

Next week I will have two interviews. I am experimenting with something new, so stay tuned!

What’s your ASSIGNMENT in life? What were you put on this earth to accomplish? I was reading Mike Litman’s article “Why Most People Never Soar” and here’s what he wrote which got me thinking:

We were all born for a certain ASSIGNMENT.

A ‘position’ in life that our unique talents and skills
can serve the greatest amount of people and reap us
incredible prosperity.

The closer we are to this POSITION, the place where success
is practically guaranteed, the greater our likelihood of
massive success.

Why do most people never aim to locate their ASSIGNMENT, the
PLACE that their success can come naturally and in great
abundance?

Do we have just one assignment? Or do we have multiple assignments in life? Just like in school, I think that we have many assignments in life, and as we complete one assignment we are ready for more challenging assignments. These assignments prepare us for our ULTIMATE LIFE ASSIGNMENT.

At this stage in my life I think that my ASSIGNMENT is to teach others through this blog, using the skills that I have honed and developed over the years.The Invisible Mentor blog is a culmination of my research, analysis and writing skills. I’ve been told that I am an excellent interviewer because people feel comfortable around me so they open up. My articles usually have information that you can sink your teeth into because of my 15 years of research experience.

What is your ASSIGNMENT at this stage in your life? What have people told you that you are good at? And if you are doing what you love and aren’t reaping incredible prosperity, does that mean that you are not working on your ASSIGNMENT in life?

My ASSIGNMENT is to interview individuals who have wisdom and knowledge to share, and review books that contain information that you can apply to your life. There are times when I will fail my assignment, and I have to review and regroup and learn from the failure. And that’s okay because I gain experience in the process.

Do you agree with Litman when he says that “…Most people never aim to locate their ASSIGNMENT?’ If you agree, what’s the reason? Could it be that people conform and get into a position that’s too comfortable?

Earl Nightingale in his classic The Strangest Secret say:

“Rollo May, the distinguished psychiatrist, wrote a wonderful book called Man’s Search for Himself, and in this book he says: “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice … it is conformity.” And there you have the reason for so many failures. Conformity — people acting like everyone else, without knowing why or where they are going.”

Please keep the conversation flowing, click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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This week I present 28-year old Jonathan Wong.  When I interview people I do not prompt them, and I let them answer questions the way that they want, and there is a certain beauty in that approach because inevitably I uncover a goldmine of information. This interview is not a traditional one because I asked only a few of the questions. After I completed the interview I agonized over whether or not I should post it because of some of the information that came out. In the end I decided to include it because it may help someone. We all have dark and  light aspects within ourselves and we have to find a way to live with them. And according to “the U.S. Department of Labor, 10 percent of all U.S. workers have a substance abuse problem. Whether employees use alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, or other substances, their behaviors can have a profound impact on the workplace.” Source

The interview contains some personal information, but I think there are some potent lessons for us to learn from Jonathan’s experience. He got involved with the wrong crowd, used drugs, and at one point was in a detention center. This is a great reminder to us to be careful who we allow into our circle of influence. Do you yield to peer pressure, or do you stand your ground?

When Jonathan has some down time one of the things he does is grab a ball and play catch. One day I bumped into Jonathan and he asked me if I would play catch with him. For those of you who know me, can you picture me playing catch? I find it interesting that the person that Jonathan most want to meet is his younger self, read why? This reminded me of an interview I did with Gail Blanke for my book Tales of People Who Get It. The book that had a profound impact on Gail’s life was indeed the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Here is what Gail said:

It wasn’t a book but the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. I saw this play when I was 10 years old and I have never forgotten it because it had such a profound impact on me. After I saw it, I made a promise to always let people know how much I love them, and I have kept that promise to this day.

Set at the turn of the 20th century, in the small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, U.S.A., the play reveals the ordinary lives of the people, the tale of love, marriage and death and daily life. The play is centered on a woman, Emily, who dies during childbirth and wants to go back. Those who died before her allow her to go back for a day. Emily chooses to go back on her twelfth birthday. On her twelfth birthday she sees her family and suddenly realizes how much she took things for granted. She didn’t appreciate how wonderful she had it at the time. Emily realizes how precious life is.

This play is about seizing the moment and living life fully in the moment. At 10 years old I made the promise, which I have kept, to let those near and dear to me know how much I love and appreciate them.

Excerpt from Tales of People Who Get It page 135 – An Interview With Gail Blanke

I included the excerpt because I thought it relevant to Jonathan’s experience. While reading Jonathan’s interview instead of judging or criticizing, let us look at the potent lessons we can take away. If you met Jonathan, it would be very difficult for you to guess his past. He has blossomed into a fine young man and it shows that it’s never too late to change. In what areas of your life do you need to change? Is there an issue in your personal or professional life that you are ignoring? I am saying this to you as much as I am saying it to myself? Please read the article that I wrote, Do You Have the Courage to Re-invent Yourself? Jonathan’s family runs three very successful restaurant businesses in Toronto, Canada but he has decided to find his own path.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I am charismatic, outgoing, I like to be active and I really enjoy close interactions because I find that people are really interesting. To be out and about and around people is a lot of fun for me.

Describe a major business or other challenge you had and how you resolved it.

When I was 18 and early twenties I got involved with some characters who liked to use drugs and I got involved in that. I learned some lessons from that experience, and my memory and thought processes would have been a lot better if I hadn’t gotten involved with that. It is an interesting experience that I had to go through and I overcame what was holding me back and holding me in that position. I had a couple of near death experiences and it’s something that I never want to ever experience again, and that helped me to get out of that and make a change.

What lessons did you learn in the process?

1. I learned to surround myself with positive people
2. I learned that though I do like to interact with all kinds of people, there are some that you should stay out of arm’s reach from. I still have childhood friends that I would still like to keep in touch with but it’s very difficult because they are still doing drugs, and I can see their mental deterioration and altered personalities and we have gone two ways. We used to be able to have fun and joke around but now it’s very awkward around them, so it’s best for me to stay away from those people.

As an Invisible Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

In the video below, Jonathan assumes the role of invisible mentor and give us some advice he thinks is important. Watch the short video and let me know what you think.

Jonathan Wong Assumes the Role of Invisible Mentor from Avil Beckford on Vimeo.

What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

I would like to say that I do not have any regrets, but there are a couple of things that I’ve gone through. I was involved with a woman not too long ago, and we were together for a few months but I realized that I did not want to be with her so I ended the relationship. Shortly after that I discovered that she was pregnant and she gave me the option of being with her and the child and I freaked out because I was young and didn’t have a job. I also told her that I didn’t want to be with her. After about a week later I came to my senses and I told her that I wanted to help raise my child, and by that time she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I regret that I do not get to spend a lot of time with my child and when I get visitation it’s not for a long time.

What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

1. Always be active, to be in good physical shape is very important
2. Always be assertive and that doesn’t mean that you go for every opportunity that comes your way, but you should certainly investigate them to determine if they are right for you
3. Cherish your family and do not allow anything to come between you and them. Resolve whatever issues you have and get your ego out of the way. Also learn how to apologize and things will work themselves out
4. Learn to slow down and appreciate life, even doing something as simple as watching the sunrise or sunset, watching the trees shape sun rays as they sway in the wind can bring you serenity
5. It’s important co-operate with others in the workplace

When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

I play cards, video and board games, hang out with friends and sometimes I grab a ball and play catch outside.

What process do you use to generate great ideas?

When I was younger I used to listen to music and that would help with my sketching and painting. What I felt from listening to the music came out on the paper.

What’s your favourite quotation and why?

I got into trouble when I was eighteen and there were two characters involved in that incident. When I was in the detention center, my mother came to visit me and she told me that “The truth shall set you free.” And after that, I could not, not tell the truth. I stopped doing a lot of things and I couldn’t stand there and not open the doors for others. That was a very powerful phrase for me.

How do you define success?

Success is something that you attain and it’s not always through wealth. I also think that as long as you are happy in what you are doing, making enough money to put food on the table, and take out your partner once in a while, you are successful.

In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Be hardworking, make sound decisions and research what you are going to do and think about how you are going to approach things.

If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

There is only one person that I’d like to meet and that’s my younger self. So if I could go back into my past, I would like to talk to myself. I was a very shy child, and I came out of it when I was in Junior High, so I would tell him not to be afraid and that everything would be okay, and that whatever was troubling him, he should not worry about it. And I would try to bring him out of his shyness. I think that my past reflects my future so if I could have gotten to him earlier I would be a different person now, and also more of a go-getter.

What excites you about life?

The future excites me about life, not knowing what’s going to happen. Life is like a strategic game, you set something up, and you take different paths and it’s exciting not knowing where you’ll end up.

If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

I would wish for wellness and happiness because I think that those are two very important things.

Complete the following, I am happy when…..

I’m surrounded by loved one and friends.

What are five takeaways from Jonathan’s interview?

Lessons

1. There is truth to the adage, “Show me your company and I’ll tell you who you are,” so be careful who you let into your sphere of influence.
2. No one is perfect and we’ll forever make mistakes, but the trick is to learn from our mistakes.
3. Explore opportunities that come your way to determine if the fit is right for you.
4. Cherish your friends and family.
5. True success isn’t about money.
6. Take time to enjoy life

Another lesson I gleaned from Jonathan’s interview is beautifully summarized in the poem Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS

by Portia Nelson

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

Portia Nelson, 1920 – 2001, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk

Please keep the conversation flowing, click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

Related Posts

Learning from our Mistakes, Or Not

Do you have a difficult problem that you are trying to solve? A systematic approach to problem solving will make your task that much simpler. Below is a process to assist you, follow the steps in How to Read to Solve a Problem and record the information in the problem solver template. Read the blog posts How to Problem Solve and Reverse Problem Solving: When You Must Have a Certain Outcome for additional information. Information from this post was extracted from the Invisible Mentor Toolkit which I developed to assist you in acquiring information and knowledge from a distance.

How to Read to Solve a Problem

1. Describe a problem that you are having in your organization simply, clearly and not too broadly or narrowly.
2. Uncover the facts surrounding the problem
3. What are the underlying causes of the problem?
   1. Are the underlying causes internal or external to the organization?
   2. Are the underlying causes solvable?
4. Look at problems in many different ways, and find new perspectives that no one else has taken
5. On a blank sheet of paper do a brain dump for 15 minutes, writing down as many answers and solutions to the problem. If necessary, go back to Step 1 and redefine the problem
6. Compile a bibliography of books that could potentially help to resolve the problem?
   1. Ask colleagues for book recommendations
   2. Ask subject matter experts for recommendations
   3. Check the bibliography of scholarly journals and books on the topic
   4. Search the catalogues, or ask a librarian at a good reference library to find titles
7. Spend half a day at the library inspecting[1] the books listed in the compiled bibliography to:
   1. Whittle down the number of titles on the list
   2. Get a cursory understanding of the topic/situation
   3. Determine which  books say anything important about the topic of interest
8. With a cursory understanding of the subject:
   1. Develop questions you are trying to answer or issues to resolve
   2. Clarify the information that you are seeking. Distinguish between ‘must know’ and ‘nice to know’
   3. Write down the elements of what you require
   4. How will you know when you have found the answers?
9. Inspect the books identified as relevant to solving the problem
   1. Find the most relevant passages and record page numbers
   2. Record the answers to the questions by authors (Refer to the Problem Solver Template)
10. Read and analyze all the information gathered
    1. Distill the information germane to the problem
    2. Compare and contrast the answers to each question
    3. Reorganize the information in many ways. Combine, and recombine, ideas, and thoughts into different combinations no matter how incongruent or unusual
    4. Draw conclusions and identify possible solutions (Do not limit yourself to what has been done before but be open to new and better alternative solutions)
    5. Which option best serves the organization?
    6. Is the option consistent with the mission, goals and objectives of the organization
    7. Select the best option
11. Implement the solution
12. Evaluate the solution
13. If the solution does not work, repeat Step 10 c through to 10 d

[1] Refer to How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading to find out how to quickly inspect a book.

The Problem Solver Template

Title of Book/Name of Author

Why is Author Qualified to Answer?

Question1

Answer 1/Page Found

Question2

Answer 2/Page Found

Question 3

Answer 3/Page Found

Question 4

Answer 4/Page Found

Question 5

Answer 5/Page Found

Let me know what you think about the questions. It is my vow to assist you on your professional development journey. If there are additional ways that I may be of service please let me know.

Click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

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Related Resources

Inspirer, Reflector, Innovator or Influencer, Which One Are You?

What Type of Problem Solver Are You?

The Importance of Problem-Solving by Ken Watanabe

Recently someone who I know asked me where the food court was in the mall close by, so I started giving him directions. He asked if I could go with him and I thought about it and said yes, not much arm twisting needed. We go into the mall and he tells me that he has never been inside before. I am quite astonished because he works right beside the mall. He adds that he would have gotten lost had I not been with him, and when I thought about it he was correct. I  have been going to that mall for nearly 15 years so I do not even have to think about it, I know where everything is. I assumed that because the food court was easy for me to find that it would be easy for others to find as well. The reality is that there are many aisles that you could get lost in and the layout isn’t perfect. And, it doesn’t help that three malls are connected to each other underground.

What assumptions do you make that could possibly trip up others? Are the instructions for your training products clear? When you give directions from point A to B, do you leave out landmarks, distance and possible time it takes, to help others gauge if they are on track? Have you ever been frustrated when the instructions to perform a task wasn’t clear? The assumptions you make, are they friends or foe? Do they assist you or hamper you? Do they make you appear credible?

The next time you have to explain something, write or  give instructions or directions, before you begin, pause and think before you do anything. Also think about what you would like if you were the recipient of the explanation, directions or instructions.

We can take making assumptions even further, what assumptions do we make daily? What assumptions do we bring to the table? What assumptions do we make about others? What assumptions do we make about how things get done? And so on and so on… Do all these assumptions that we make cloud our judgment and prevent us from being creative?

In Did You Spot the Gorilla by Richard Wiseman, which I have talked about before, there is an exercise with the face of a clock in Roman numerals. A few of the numbers are missing and you are asked to fill in the missing numbers. I finished the exercise in record time and found much to my dismay, that just like everyone, for the number four which we are taught is IV, on all watches and clocks it is IIII, except for the Big Ben in London. I made a reasonable assumption, but it was an incorrect one. Please read Could You Swear to It?

One of the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is to don’t make assumptions, but as an information professional, I have to make assumptions because I never have all the information that I require so I have to fill in the gaps based on experience, so perhaps the agreement should be make assumptions with caution. Are there specific instances where you are forced to make assumptions, how do you handle them? So, the way you deal with assumptions in instances like these, is to state what you do know, what you don’t know, and what you think.

What are your thoughts? Please keep the information flowing, click on the comment link below and leave a note for me. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance. For free white papers click here.

Photo Credit: Zemanta and Apture (The photo is of Richard Wiseman)

The most successful people have mental and verbal abilities that would delight any philosopher of yore. How did they become that way? One book and one word at a time. To be smarter than your peers requires  setting aside time everyday to develop your mental and verbal powers.

1. Learn a word a day
2. Read a book each week and choose books that make you think
3. While reading record interesting phrases to use as quotations in your written communications to make them shine
4. While reading always be on the lookout for ways to apply the information to your work and life
5. Connect the new information to what you already know. Never read in a vacuum
6. Join the Great Books Foundation
7. Join the Center for the Study of Great Ideas
8. Sign up for the School of Thinking‘s newsletter
9. Subscribe to book summaries
10. Join an online book club

If you consistently do the above 10 things, in no time people will not only notice, but also admire the change in you.

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please comment. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

Photo Credit: via Apture

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