Introduction: The Buddy System: Who Is Watching Your Back?
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
Who's a part of your buddy system?
There is truth to the adage that no one succeeds alone: the Lone Ranger had Tonto, and Bud Abbot had Lou Costello. They needed and relied on each other to achieve their goals.
Even the self-made millionaire used “somebody’s” resources to achieve professional success. Would it then not make sense to have a system that allows people to pool their mental capacities to solve problems, generate great ideas and perhaps even conquer the world?
The Buddy System™, a support system consisting of about four to six people who are committed to co-mentoring each other to achieve their goals, could be the answer. Members of this support network do not have to be from the same company, they just have to have a willingness to help others while helping themselves.
Each member of the co-mentor network assumes the role of “buddy” or sidekick or co-mentor to the other members. Think of the Buddy System™ as a mini think tank where transformation partners pool their resources to achieve a greater good.
Ways to Use the Buddy System
For the past six months or so, I've been thinking about how to read the right books to accelerate my success. I know that reading books alone will not guarantee success because you MUST act on what you learn. I look at luminaries who were able to use the knowledge in the books they read to succeed. Elevating them to a new level.
And looking at their lives, some of them diversify their reading. Some of them read books to understand difficult issues in the world. Others simply read to learn. With my Performance Accelerator Plan, participants will read a variety of books. They read books across multiple disciplines. And they'll read books about topical events. They read to understand different cultures and to learn key skills. I encourage professionals to join with their friends or colleagues.
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Not everyone enjoys reading the way I do. And they're unlikely to read as much as I do, but they can reap the benefits of reading by adopting the buddy system. Get a reading buddy to discuss books with. Choose books that you and your buddy want to read. Read books to learn new skills and identify ways to apply the new knowledge.
Read different books, take detailed notes to share with each other. You could each have a book presentation when you get together. You both will accelerate your learning. I once read that it takes reading five very good books on a topic to master it. Imagine if you split the books between you and your buddy or buddies.
This is one way, buddies can support each other. The sky is the limit for you.
How to Find a Buddy (Co-mentors)
Finding appropriate buddies (co-mentors) takes careful planning, but the effort spent in getting it right will potentially catapult you to success. Have you identified those people in your diverse networks whose goals, personal mission and values intersect with yours?
Initially, get together to talk about what is important to you, and where you would like to see yourselves in five years? Brainstorm various ways to fill the gap between where you are, to where you want to be. Before committing, take the group for a test drive to discover if real chemistry is there.
If co-mentors feel comfortable together, decide which courses, webinars, workshops, seminars, conferences, podcasts, blogs and books would benefit the group the most. When deciding, focus on training and resources that will help members to attain greater personal and professional success.
Allocate training and resources among members. When members take a course or read a book and so on, they should write a summary and teach the concepts to other members. This lessens the learning curve for each transforming partner.
For maximum impact, meet once a week and no less than every two weeks for two hours, but remember to harness technology by creating a group on LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo! or any other to circulate training or book summaries. If members are dispersed geographically, utilize video or web conferencing to meet. Reserve meetings as a forum for members to act as a Buddy Think Tank™ where they strategize, act on opportunities, and generate innovative ideas to resolve critical issues/concerns/problems facing them in their daily lives.
Potential ways to enhance the Buddy System™ experience:
- If members are located in the same geographic area make the Buddy Meetings™ a fun event – eat and laugh together
- When summarizing books, ask the following questions and include the answers in the summary:
- What breakthroughs did you have while reading this book?
- Does the book contain facts that are somewhat surprising because they are different from what you know?
- Are there any rule breaking in the book? If yes, what are they?
- Is there a method of thinking, or metaphor implied in this book that you could adopt to solve problems?
- What are the top 5 great ideas/takeaways from the book?
- How does the author’s ideas or solutions relate to your life and your work?
- In what ways can you use the ideas/insights/takeaways to increase the value of your product/service to your customers (internal/external)?
- In what ways can you use the ideas/insights/takeaways to add value to your life?
- Rotate roles and responsibilities among members.
- Evaluate regularly to determine if the needs of all member are being addressed by the group.
Final Thoughts: The Buddy System
In today’s environment, standing still is no longer an option in work and life. With so many changes taking place, it's difficult for any one professional to keep up. But with a buddy, you can help to carry the load. Use the Buddy System™ to partner your way to success.
And to develop the skills to thrive in the future, join my Performance Accelerator Plan. Decide who you want to buddy with.
How Avil Can Help You!
I invite you to Join the Performance Accelerator Plan that walks you through the process of learning key skills and more. You’ll be reading books to build skills and develop intercultural awareness. Get more reading and learning tips here.
In December, I published two books on Amazon. I would greatly appreciate your support if you bought my two short e-books Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon and Performance Accelerator Plan: Guide to Learning and Mastering Key Skills for the Future.
Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon is not about speed reading. It’s about approaching every book differently and reading only the sections that align with your purpose.
The Performance Accelerator Plan book is a stripped-down version of the paid reading challenge of the same name. Obviously, you won’t get all the resources that come with the program that I sell on my website. But if you are a self-directed learner, it will help you tremendously.
Tribe of MentorsForget a Mentor, Find a SponsorGetting There: A Book of MentorsOne Minute Mentoring
Update: First Published in September 2009. Also if you click on a link and buy a product on Amazon, the company will pay me a small commission.
