The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘the invisible mentor toolkit’

Have you ever spent the time to discover who you really are? The interviewees for The Invisible Mentor Blog tell me that they appreciate going through the process of answering the questions because it’s a process of self-discovery. One interviewee told me that I took her into places that she wanted to forget, but that she was happy that she went there. In The Invisible Mentor Toolkit I have a Self-Discovery Worksheet for readers to work through. I think that it’s important for you to understand yourself before you choose your invisible mentors because you want those who can take you where you want to go.

Here are the questions that I ask in The Invisible Mentor Toolkit. Set aside about three hours of focused time to answer the questions. It may seem like a lot of time, but going through a process such as this one is extremely important if you expect to live a fulfilled life.

1. What’s your mission in life?
2. What’s your philosophy in life?
3. In the next three years, where would you like to be in your personal and professional life? Please frame your responses in the form of goals for the following five life areas: Economic/Financial, Social, Health/Wellness, Business/Career, Personal.
4. Are you committed to achieving the goals you listed above in the next three years?
5. In the past, what has prevented you from achieving your personal and professional goals? Please describe in detail.
6. What roadblocks are you likely to encounter in achieving your goals? Please describe in detail.
7. What actions can you take to minimize or remove roadblocks to achieving your personal and professional goals? Please list the actions in terms of their importance.
8. Think about your professional goals, what gaps exist between where you are now, to where you would like to be in the next three years?
9. What actions do you have to take to fill those gaps? Please describe in detail and list
10. your actions in order of priority.
11. What knowledge do you have to acquire to fill those gaps? Please describe in detail.
12. Who are the experts that you can learn from, and what are their areas of expertise?
13. Have any of these experts given important speeches and produced information products such as books, ebooks and audio programs that you could use to expand your knowledge base in the area(s) you identified above? Please list the titles of the speeches and the names of the products.
14. Shifting gears now, think back to when you were much younger, do any adults stick out in your mind as being memorable? If yes, make a list of them below.
15. Why were these individuals so memorable? Please explain.
16. What traits or behaviours did they have in common? Please explain.
17. What lessons did you learn from them? Please explain.
18. Coming back to the present, are there any adults who stick out in your mind? If yes, make a list of them below.
19. Why are these individuals so memorable? Please explain.
20. What traits or behaviours do they have in common? Please explain.
21. What lessons are you learning from them? Please explain.
22. Are there any similarities between your answers to 9c and 10c? If yes, please list the similarities?
23. If you could have any five mentors you wanted, who would you choose, and why? Mentors could be living or dead.
24. What is it about them that you are attracted to?
25. What is/was their philosophy?
26. How do their philosophies align with yours?
27. Which books influenced their thinking, and why? Three books per invisible mentor.
28. Are there biographies about them? If yes, list the names of both authorized and nonauthorized biographies?
29. Are there any other books about them that are not biographies?
30. Are there any interviews that they conducted, or interviews about them? Please list
31. titles and where they can be found.
32. How have your invisible mentors made a major difference in the world? Please explain.
33. Who influenced your invisible mentors? Please list their names.
34. Who mentored your invisible mentors? Please list their names.
35. Which books influenced your invisible mentors’ mentors? Please list the titles of the books.
36. What critical lessons did your invisible mentors learn from their mentors that you can apply to your life? Please describe.

What are your thoughts? What can you contribute to the conversation? 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.

Photo Credit: Yahoo via Apture

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.

Photo Credit: Google via Apture

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

Are you trying to master a subject? If you answered yes, mastering any subject matter takes a commitment of anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 hours (Read the article Did Malcolm Gladwell Rip Me Off? by Michael Masterson), depending on which statistics you decide to believe. To begin the process of mastering a subject, answer the questions below. While you are reading the books identified at the library, record the information in the Subject Mastery Template. This information is taken from The Invisible Mentor Toolkit.

How to Read to Master a Subject

1. Describe the specific knowledge that you are trying to acquire
2. On a blank sheet of paper do a brain dump for 15 minutes, writing down as much as you know about the topic
3. List the pioneers and subject matter experts in the field. Have they written any books on the subject?
4. Compile a bibliography of books that could potentially help to master the subject?
   1. List books written by pioneers and subject matter experts
   2. Check the bibliography of books written by pioneers and subject matter experts
   3. Ask colleagues for book recommendations
   4. Check the bibliography of scholarly journals and books on the topic
   5. Search the catalogues, or ask a librarian at a good reference library to find titles
5. 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
   3. Determine which  books say anything important about the topic of interest
6. With a cursory understanding of the subject:
   1. Identify the 10 core concepts/ideas that form the basis of the subject
   2. Clarify the information that you are seeking. Distinguish between ‘must know’ and ‘nice to know’
   3. How will you know when you have found the answers?
7. Inspect the books identified as relevant
   1. Find the most relevant passages and record page numbers
   2. By author, record the information that covers each of the 10 core concepts/ideas (Refer to the Subject Mastery Template)
8. Read and analyze all the information gathered
   1. Distill the information germane to the subject
   2. Compare and contrast the information on each of the 10 core concepts/ideas
   3. Interpret the 10 core concepts/ideas
   4. Concentrate on understanding the core concepts/ideas
9. Search online for a site that offer tests on the subject and take the test

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

Subject Mastery Template

Title of the Book/Author

Why is Author Qualified to Answer?

Key Concept 1

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 2

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 3

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 4

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept 5

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept6

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept7

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept8

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept9

Documentation/Page Found

Key Concept10

Documentation/Page Found

Conclusions by Authors

What are the Weaknesses of the Authors’ Arguments, Evidence and Conclusions?

Special Notes

And whatever you learn, be sure to teach it to others so that you can cement the information into your memory. Let me know what you think about the questions.  I am committed 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.

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 Articles

The Precursor to How to Master a Subject
How to Fill the Information Gap
How to Fill the Information Gap Part Two
How to Fill the Information Gap (when you don’t know there is a gap) Part Three

Photo Credit: Google via Apture

To get the most from a book, I often use a Book Summary Template which I created after conducting research. I do not always answer all the questions in the template for every book that I read, because some may not be relevant for that book. Before reading, decide why you are reading, is it for information, to further knowledge or for entertainment? If I am reading for entertainment, I never use the template.

After using the template for a while, it becomes second nature. The template below is taken from the Invisible Mentor Toolkit which I developed to assist you in acquiring information and knowledge from a distance. In the past few weeks, I have been reminded how important invisible mentors are. The interesting thing is that people are talking about invisible mentors but they are not calling them that because the term is not well known. In the blog post Are You Being Mentored by Cat Matson, can you spot where she talks about invisible mentors?

Book Summary Template

1. What is the book about?
2. What is being said in detail and how?
3. Is the author qualified to talk about this topic?
4. What problems is the author trying to solve?
5. Which of the problems that the author had to solve did he/she succeed in solving?
6. What are the author’s solutions?
7. How does the author’s ideas or solutions relate to your life and work?
8. Did you come across any different ways to solve every day problems?
9. What breakthroughs did you have while reading this book?
10. Does the document contain facts that are somewhat surprising because they are different from what you know?
11. Are there any rule breaking in the book? If yes, what are they?
12. What are the additional insights?
13. Is there a method of thinking, or metaphor implied in this book that I can adopt to solve problems?
14. What are the top 5 great ideas/takeaways from the book?
15. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
16. Does the book leave unanswered questions? If yes, what are they?
17. In what ways can you use the ideas/insights/takeaways to increase the value of your products/services to my customers (internal/external)?
18. In what ways can you use the ideas/insights/takeaways to add value to your life?

Let me know what you think about the questions. In another post, I will give you a template that you can use when you are mastering a topic. 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.

Photo Credit: via Apture