Mentor was such a wise and trusted ancient Greek, that Odysseus put him in charge of his son when he had to go off to the Trojan War. It is from that – via a book written in 1699 – that we now end up with the process of “mentoring” whereby someone with experience and knowledge helps us improve and succeed.
But do you have a mentor? Do you have someone who helps you grow, gain from their experience and achieve success? In particular, do you have someone who helps you succeed online, someone who can help you make the most of the Internet for your business?
These are relevant questions in the light of new research which confirms the significant benefits of having a mentor. Although the research looked at schoolchildren it agrees with other studies which show that mentoring makes a real difference to success. In the latest research on children conducted in Utah, USA, a mentor meant that teenagers were 50% more likely to go to college, when compared with those who didn’t get any mentoring. For disadvantaged youngsters, it was even more striking.
In other words, this study shows that having a mentor makes a real difference to success. However, a mentor needs to be more than someone you look up to. They need to be actively involved in helping you succeed; the need to be available, accessible, communicative, supportive and knowledgeable. Simply having some kind of “hero” who gives you guidance is not mentoring.
We need mentors in all walks of life. Sports people call them “coaches” of course. But even Olympic medal winners, with all their success and ability still have coaches. The fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, still gets coaching from his mentors. No matter how good you are at something, having a mentor can make you better at it.
So who is your Internet Mentor? Who are you going to call on to increase your success with the Internet?
