Introduction: Sherlock Holmes – The Ultimate Mentor
Sherlock Holmes is one of the best known fictional characters in the world. A few weeks ago, on January 6th, the world’s first consulting detective turned 159 years old. I have been thinking a lot about mentorship, and what would constitute the ultimate mentor. But realistically, does the ultimate mentor exist? We know that the best mentors possess key characteristics, however, we have to be mindful of the kind of expectations we place on others. No one is perfect, and in the news, we constantly learn about people falling from grace.
Knowing that perfectionism doesn’t exist, the ultimate mentor should have some key traits that can benefit us, and not to limit these mentors, we should include invisible mentors, and that’s where Sherlock Holmes comes in. Sherlock Holmes wasn’t a perfectionist, he excelled at his craft, but he was also addicted to cocaine. The way we approach Holmes, should be the way that Confucius would approach him. The Chinese philosopher, Confucius, adopted the great qualities he observed in others, and checked himself for their less stellar traits. Confucius knew that he was not perfect and quite capable of possessing what some would call bad qualities. Knowing what not to do, is equally important as what to do.
From January 5 to March 10, 2013, the Toronto Metropolitan Reference Library is having the exhibit, Adventures with Sherlock Holmes, which celebrates 125 years of Sherlock Holmes. I went to the exhibit, to prepare for this post, and there were film clips, paintings, lithographs, engraving, posters, models, statuettes and figurines. And there were figurines of Professor Moriarty, who is responsible for the death of Sherlock Holmes. The manuscript of The Crown Diamond is on display, as well as pages from other manuscripts. There are several artworks – etching, lithograph, and engraving – of the Upper Cascade of the Reichenbach, Canton Bern, Switzerland, where Sir Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes chose for the demise of the famed detective.
There are many books written about Holmes on display at the exhibit. In the article, “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
,” on Big Think, Daniel Honan, talks about Maria Konnikova’s, new book Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes, which I’d like to read. Additionally, Maria Popova also writes a review of Konnikova’s book in her article, “How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes: Lessons in Mindfulness and Creativity from the Great Detective” on Brain Pickings. Both articles on Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes make you want to read the book.
And back to why Sherlock Holmes is an ultimate mentor, the famed detective can teach us a thing or two about the power of observation. The master of disguises, can also teach us how to problem solve, even when we believe we are missing critical pieces of information. And related to that, we can learn to make better decisions, using the skills that Holmes excels at. The ability to observe, problem solve and make better decisions are skills that the best organizations demand today. And that’s why we should study Holmes, and the best thing is, the detective is so famous that there is a lot of available information about him.
Further Reading
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a Book Review
Booked on Tuesdays: Review – The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Please share your Sherlock Holmes moment in the comment box below. Book links are affiliate links.
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