If there was an ultimate mentor, what would she look like?
What would the ultimate mentor look like? Do you even think that it is possible to have an ultimate mentor? (Read Build a Mentor)
No mentoring relationship is perfect, there are often kinks that the mentor and protégé have to work out. And there are times when the relationship is not the right fit and both have to part ways.
Related: Help – My Mentor is not a Good Fit!
Most people want to be seen and heard, but how does that relate to mentorship? To establish proper fit in a mentoring relationship, the protégé has to let the mentor know what she is looking for out of the relationship, and the mentor also has to let her protégé know what she is looking for as well. Mentorship is about give and take, so the mentor and protégé have to benefit from the relationship. And the best relationships are built on good communication between people, and each person involved in the relationship earnestly and actively listens to what the other person has to say. They talk to each other to clarify points to prevent miscommunication.
At the fundamental level, someone wants a mentor because he wants to achieve his potential, and is looking for assistance from another who can assist him in reaching his goals. Therefore, a mentor’s responsibility is to guide her protégé toward the stated goal. And it’s the protégé’s responsibility to take action, accepting the guidance if it is appropriate. Protégés are not mini versions of their mentors so mentors should never try to mold them into their image.
Having worked with the idea of invisible mentors for over five years now, in my opinion, I do not think that there is an ultimate mentor for all people, but each person can have an ultimate mentor based on their unique needs. I think the ultimate mentor is a composite of the traits and characteristics that we admire in others, and in that case, an ultimate mentor would actually be invisible mentors. Take Napoleon Hill, who wrote Think and Grow Rich, his unique need was to rebuild his character, so he imaged the traits and characters of nine men, his invisible mentors, who formed his ultimate mentor.
Related:
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Review
Some of Napoleon Hill's Invisible Mentors
Mini Biography of Thomas Alva Edison, Inventor
Mini Biography of Luther Burbank, Horticulturist, Wizard of Santa Rosa
Mini Biography of Andrew Carnegie, Steel Magnate, Philanthropist
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Essayist, Poet and Lecturer
Charles Robert Darwin, Naturalist who Presented the Origin of Species Theory
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, Led America through the Civil War
Henry Ford, American Automobile Pioneer, Industrialist
What do you want more than anything in the world? Who can assist you in obtaining what you yearn for? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Liked this post? Share it and subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more! If you’re new to the blog, visit the Start Here page for my pillar posts.
Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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