SIX Degrees of Separation ... On "MENTORSHIP"

THIS, is your INVITATION to Participate ... But let me first ask you a very important question:
    IS "MENTORSHIP" A TOPIC THAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Or, let me put it to you this way:
    Is "MENTORSHIP" something that you’ve experienced in the past, or are you involved in a Mentoring relationship right now?

Even if you’ve answered “NO” to these first few questions, there may be something of interest here, so please read just a little further, if you don’t mind ...
 

On August 28, 2012, we put out a challenge to friends within our circle of contacts and asked for their assistance with our ‘little experiment’ on this topic. We’ve also connected it to the concept of the "SIX Degrees of Separation", which is the idea that anyone on the planet should be able to get in touch with anyone else, through a chain of no more than 6 contacts! (It’s an interesting concept, isn’t it?)  We mentioned within one of our posts that various broad-based experiments that tested the theory have shown the average number of links to complete a CONNECTION has in fact been six!

SO ... we are wonder if it might be possible to 'tap into' some of the best thought leaders and experts on the topic of MENTORSHIP for a specific project. 

* If "Mentorship" is a topic of interest to you, or to someone you know, please do us a HUGE favour, and participate in this project, or invite your contacts to this POST.  

Thank you in advance for your help with this "experiment" in making CONNECTION across the six degrees of separation!  

Here’s what we would like you to do:

1) PICK - Pick one or more ‘Topic Threads’ that are of interest to you (NOTED IN UPPER CASE FONT):

1.1) MY EXPERIENCE: What's been your experience with Mentorship? (things  learned, tips, suggestions)
1.2) SPECIFIC HELP: How has having a Mentor or being a Mentor helped you?
1.3) TOP THINGS: What are the top 3 things you feel a Mentor could help someone develop?
1.4)  MUTUAL BENEFITS: Share your thoughts on how Mentorship can help the Protégé, as well as the  Mentor! (what value is derived by each party?)
1.5) IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS: To improve the quality and vitality of the Mentorship relationship – what would you suggest or provide as advice to a potential Protégé or Mentor?
1.6) STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT: What would be helpful for the Protégé or Mentor to know at  different stages of the Mentorship  relationship?
    (We’ve used four stages to describe the continuum of the relationship from start to finish, referring to them as: Beginning, Establishing,  Strengthening and Transitioning)
1.7) ENCOURAGEMENT: What would you say to encourage those who are considering being involved in a Mentorship relationship.

2) ADD - Add a COMMENT to this POST, starting with the ‘Topic Thread’ mentioned above (IN UPPER CASE FONT) to help us quickly sort through the various responses. 

3) SHARE - Share the link for this POST to those within your circle of contacts and invite them to either PARTICIPATE in the topic, and to also ‘SHARE’ the opportunity to those within their circle of contacts!

We welcome your proposed contributions by posting to this BLOG. (Please do not send attachments or photos at this time.) Updates and appropriate acknowledgements will also be posted by us on our various social media platforms, from time to time, in order to highlight samples of content received!

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: If the volume of submissions will allow, selected contributions may be "published" into a book, with full acknowledgement credited to the source. Participation in this project is voluntary, and without compensation, recognizing that the perspectives and input provided may help readers succeed in their growth and development, and participants will receive valuable future exposure as selected contributors to this project.

 

Thank you in advance for your support. We look forward with great anticipation to what we can create together!

Regards,

- Jim Ewing

Pro-Vision Solutions Inc.

Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)

CONNECT WITH US THROUGH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

Business Success BLOG:  http://BusinessSuccessBlog.blogspot.com/

Mentorship BLOG:  http://ProVision-Mentorship.blogspot.com/

YouTube Channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/ProvisionMentorship

Linkedin Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/JimEwingProVision

 

Facebook:  facebook.com/JimEwingPVS

Twitter:  JimEwing_PVS

How has Having a Mentor HELPED you?

Have you had a Mentor in the past?  Was that experience helpful?

How has having a Mentor helped you?

 

If you've watched any of the video interviews that we've done with dozens of people who have experienced Mentorship you know that the process works!

* Haven't seen them yet?  Click here to view them when you've got a moment, and then come back to this BLOG Post to provide us with your comments to one of the key questions that we've asked those we've interviewed.

We're looking forward to hearing from you and sharing your comments to our audience.

To get you started, here are a few comments that we've picked up from some of our earlier interviews with people. What other comments might you add? 

BTW - Simply 'Click' on their name to view the video interview with that person.

Glynn Williams mentions that having a mentor within the work environment can be of immense help to new staff members. Mentors can provide newly hired staff with tremendous insights that will help guide them in the workplace. The Mentor’s experience within the organization serves as a great platform, from which they can advise the Mentee of things that might otherwise limit the future career of the new employee.

Peter Langford-Jones talks about the importance of listening to the Protégé, learning of their world, and he encourages Mentors to adapt themselves to the Protégé's world.

Barry Brown contends that a Mentor's greatest responsibility is to listen, and provide a means of accountability for the Protégé.

Grant McDowell sees the role of the Mentor as being one who comes along side and helps the Mentee become what they were meant to be ... fulfilling their calling, finding their purpose, and developing their gifts. Mentors can also help Mentees develop relationships that broaden their viewpoint.

Tony Bishop reflects on his experience helping a Mentee find business information and sector insights on a very specific type of small business. He adds a humorous story about ‘learning from the mistakes of others’ using a timely quote from Jim Pattison of The Jim Pattison Group.