Do you have a mentor? Do you mentor? If not, maybe you should.

For about ten years, I wrote feature and profile articles for newspapers and realized there was a pattern to each story. The subjects of the articles eagerly stressed that they did not reach their level of success alone. They had mentors who they relied upon.

Further investigation proved that most people at the top of every field had one or more mentors. My findings are the basis of the book, Mentoring Heroes. Following is an excerpt from this book:

“The wind propels the sailboat. It influences the speed and direction of the vessel.

Mentors are the wind in your sails. They can accelerate your career voyage. They can guide you down a stream you would never have chosen on your own. You, the sailor, remain in control of the journey. You may choose to resist a mentor’s nudge or direction. But as the sailboat does not move without the wind, your progress may be nil or slow without the mentor.

Professional mentors share information they have gained through experience, saving you the time and challenge of discovering the information on your own. They can introduce you to other high-ranking people in your business who have the power to promote and support your growth. They can identify talents and capabilities within you of which you are unaware. They can send you in a direction better suited to your advancement than you otherwise would have chosen.”

(See more about the book, Mentoring Heroes, on my website at http://www.marykdoyle.com/pages/mentors.html )

©Mary K. Doyle