The Invisible Mentor

The Invisible Mentor An Alternative Mentoring Model By Avil M. Beckford

Table of Contents Legal Notices ………………………………………….. Page 3 Introduction ……………………………………………. Page 4 Who is an Invisible Mentor …………………………… Page 5 Characteristics of Invisible Mentors ………………… Page 6 Absorbent Learner ……………………………………. Page 7 The Invisible Mentor Concept Expanded …………… Page 8 How The Invisible Mentor Concepts Works ………… Page 9 Why Invisible Mentors Are Important ………………… Page 11 5 Unique Leaders You Can Learn Things From ……. Page 12 Make Your 5 Invisible Mentors Work for You ……….. Page 14 Conclusion ……………………………………………… Page 15 About The Author ………………………………………. Page 16 Websites/Resources ……………………………………Page 17

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Legal Notices Please feel free to distribute the presentation in its entirety with attribution to the author. Disclaimer And/Or Legal Notices: The information presented herein represents the view of the author at the time of publication. Due to the rate at which conditions change, the right to update this publication is reserved based on new conditions. This toolkit is for informational purposes only, in regard to the subject matter, and not intended as professional advice. While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this work, the author does not assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. You should be aware of any laws which govern business transactions or other business practices in your country, province and state.

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Introduction This presentation introduces the concept of “invisible mentors” and highlights ways that anyone can use them to further their careers.

With this mentoring model, “absorbent learners” or mentees have to be very self-directed and willing to dedicate the necessary time to consume the necessary information to build a body of knowledge that they will apply, as well as study the behaviours of the “invisible mentor.”

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Who Is an Invisible Mentor? 

Washington State University Professor, Karen L. Peterson, defines an “invisible mentor” as a unique leader who you can learn things from by observing and studying their behaviours and professional evolution over a period of several years.

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An invisible mentor has the capacity and capability (albeit a gift) to see just above the “tree top” and the ability and commitment to come “back down” and tell many below what can be seen”

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Source: Peterson (2000)

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Characteristics of Invisible Mentors       

A leader Willing to share wisdom, knowledge and experiences Ability to explain, teach and communicate Capacity to listen actively Old enough to have learned important life lessons Accomplished and possess extraordinary perception Unique ability to sort out the valuable from the superfluous and make connections among disparate pieces of information

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Facilitates understanding Enlightened and understand that the world is bigger than them Inspiring Willing to help others succeed Engaging Well-read and has exceptional intellect Demonstrates intellectual inquiry Problem solver Change maker Passionate

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Absorbent Learner 

An “absorbent learner” is someone who “listens, discusses, verifies, explains, and uses multiple strategies and styles to come to know but ultimately self-construct understanding most effectively with the assistance of a ‘mentor’

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Absorbent knowing requires an external “guide” to help integrate, edit, dispose of, reorganize, and creatively connect the pieces. The person who makes the connections is in an ‘external role’ Peterson (2000).

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The Invisible Concept Expanded 

An “invisible mentor” is a training tool as well as a different way of thinking

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“Invisible mentors” are books, interviews, speeches, articles, presentations by and about unique leaders who you can learn things from

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How The Invisible Mentor Works For a book to assume the role of an “invisible mentor,” it has to have many of the elements below:          

Provokes thought Provides a deeper level of understanding and heightened awareness Ignites passion Awakens deep-seated emotions Provides practical wisdom Chronicles events for strategic guidance Provides formulas and intellectual frameworks to use Be about a change maker Solves everyday problems Shifts the reader’s mindset

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How The Invisible Mentor Works For an interview to assume the role of an Invisible Mentor, interviewees have to be:             

Willing to share wisdom, knowledge and experiences Old enough to have learned important life lessons Accomplished Enlightened and understand that the world is bigger than them Inspiring Willing to help others succeed Engaging Well-read Articulate Problem solvers Change makers Passionate Easy to understand

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Why Invisible Mentors Are Important 

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Invisible Mentors are great substitutes for traditional mentors, and the perfect complement to any mentoring relationship Invisible Mentors allow professionals to:  tap into their inner genius and promote a personal growth regiment  introduce rigor to their thinking  increase discipline  strengthen the ability to communicate and create a well-fed mind Consistently reading the right books, builds intellectual and verbal power; and listening to the right interviews heightens focus and awareness, while increasing knowledge Digesting the words of great thinkers provides a rich minefield for great ideas worth exploring Ambeck Enterprise

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Who are Five Unique Leaders you Can Learn Things from? To decide which Invisible Mentors will take you where you want to go: 

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Where do you see yourself personally and professionally in the next one to three years? Are their gaps in your skills that you have to fill? Who are five unique leaders who have accomplished what you would like to accomplish? Or, who are five people who have walked the path, or are farther along the path than you?

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Who are Five Unique Leaders you Can Learn Things from? 

Have any of these experts given important speeches and produced information products such as books, ebooks and audio programs that you could use to expand your knowledge base in the area (s) you identified above? Write down the titles of the speeches and the names of the products for easy reference later.

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What traits or behaviours do these unique leaders have in common?

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What is it about them that you are attracted to?

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Do their core values and philosophies align with yours?

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Make Your 5 Invisible Mentors Work for You 

Observe these five unique leaders (Invisible Mentors), read their books, watch their presentations and videos, listen to any interviews they have given

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Immerse yourself in everything about them so that if you are problem solving, you could ask and answer the question, "what would Invisible Mentor x do if she were in this situation?"

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Conclusion 

With a plethora of online resources today, the learning curve for observing and learning from “invisible mentors” in a particular field can be cut substantially by:   

listening to or reading speeches given by them reading books written by and about them, and listening to interviews given by and about them

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Suddenly the concept of “invisible mentors” has opened up, and can include both living and dead leaders who are unique

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And, individuals who have never had the opportunity to develop a traditional mentoring relationship now have more options

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About The Author Avil Beckford President of Ambeck Enterprise and Chief Invisible Mentor, is an accomplished writer, researcher, and analyst with over 15 years of experience. Her strong service orientation, dedication to learning and exploring new ways of improving her own life as well as the many she touches, has underpinned her success to date. A published author, her new book, Tales of People Who Get It is the culmination of her life experiences. It has often been said of Avil that her life informs her work. She has also created a companion workbook Journey to Getting It. Avil’s many readers look forward to Ambeck Edge, her company’s regular e-Newsletter that is a rich resource those interested in self-improvement, as well as those professionals who struggle with life balance issues. More recently, she created The Invisible Mentor Blog to use books, articles and interviews by and about successful people to mentor her readers. Ambeck Enterprise

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Websites/Resources Websites Ambeck Enterprise http://www.ambeck.com The Invisible Mentor Blog http://theinvisiblementor.com Resources Website Resources: http://www.ambeck.com/resources.html Blog Resources: http://theinvisiblementor.com/resources/ Books: Tales of People Who Get It, Journey to Getting It, The Invisible Mentor Tool Kit, The Problem Solver Tool Kit, WorkLife Balance Self Discovery Worksheet , Regret Disengagement Worksheet http://stores.lulu.com/avilbeckford

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