Comic strip

 

As Issac Newton said,

«If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.»
– and while you don’t need to be a giant to pass on your wisdom and experience,
what you can achieve in helping develop another person is gigantic in its effect.

Life responds to deserve, not need

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.

We must learn to help those who deserve it, not just those who need it. Life responds to deserve, not need.

My mentor said, “Let’s go do it,” not “You go do it”. How powerful when someone says, “Let’s!”

Good people are found, not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, “We don’t teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice people.” Wow! What a clever shortcut.

Managers help people see themselves as they are; leaders help people see themselves better than they are.

Learn to help people with more than just their jobs; help them with their lives.

by Jim Rohn

Giving is better than receiving

Giving/Sharing/Generosity

It’s best to start the discipline of generosity when the amounts are small. It’s easy to give ten cents out of a dollar; it’s a little harder to give a hundred thousand out of a million.

Giving is better than receiving because giving starts the receiving process.

Here’s what is exciting about sharing ideas with others: If you share a new idea with ten people, they get to hear it once and you get to hear it ten times.

Sharing makes you bigger than you are. The more you pour out, the more life will be able to pour in.

Somebody says, “Well, I can’t be concerned about other people. About the best I can do is to take care of myself.” Well, then you will always be poor.

What you give becomes an investment that will return to you multiplied at some point in the future.

Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.

«Vitamins for the Mind» is a weekly sampling of original quotes on a specific topic taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn.

AND THE WINNER IS…

 The 1. place went to Aqua Systems for the best contribution. They won the Innovation Norway’s development price of EUR 12 000 (nok 100 000,-), Connect Norway to a value of EUR 12 000 (nok 100 000,-), a mentor from the Norwegian Mentor Program and EUR 6 000 (nok 50 000,-).

 

Aqua Systems has developed a solution which, among other things, makes it much easier to clean the fish cages, which have the potential to create a more efficient and economical production.

 

A BIG Congratulations from The Mentor Guru and good luck with the good and hard work with a mentor for the next year and of course also the prize money.

 

To read more and to see the runner up click at the link belove (in norwegian):

 

Aftenbladet:

www.aftenbladet.no/nytte/jobb/1269169/Oppdretts-prosjekt_ble_beste_student-grnder.html

 

Innovasjon Norge:

 

www.innovasjonnorge.no/Fylke/More-og-Romsdal/Nyheter/Stadt-Aqua-Systems-vant–Venture-Cup-2010/

 

Venture cup blog:

venturecup.wordpress.com/

 

Inno Design (Norwegian innovation and design):

www.innodesign.no/nor/FoU-Offentlig/AAlesund-studenter-vant-Venture-Cup

 

Høgskolen i Ålesund:

www.hials.no/hials/aktuelt/nyhetsarkiv/enda_en_prestisjetittel_til_hiaa_gruendere

 

Venture cup 2010

 Entrepreneurship is very important for Norway and trough Venture Cup (in norwegian: venturecup.wordpress.com/) the participants get the opportunity to develop their business plans. Free advice and guidance of experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, profesionell investors and consultants contribute to network, innovation and new ventures.

 

Venture Cup is being held by Start Norway for the tenth consecutive year. The competition started in Norway in 1999 and has since had several successful business plans that have created many new jobs.

 

There is a large potential market of entrepreneurs within academia and research institutions. Venture Cup Norway has a strong academic foundation in educational institutions and research units in the different regions it is held.

 

Venture Cup is much more than a competition, and the value for the participants is not only the potential rewards, but just as much the learning, the network of contacts and the experience that participants receive.

 

It is based on four main elements:

1. Education: It will be implemented practically oriented lectures by educational institutions, and students at some institutions may take Venture Cup as a separate subject. The lectures will cover the most important factors in establishing their own business.

 

2. Supervision: A network of advisers associated with Venture Cup. These guides participants in the process if desired. The advisers network will be able to give advice on specific issues related to patents, for example, tax, accounting, etc.

 

3. Inspiration: The kick-off and the two prize awards you will be able to come and be motivated and inspired by the lectures of experienced entrepreneurs and presentations of newly established businesses. The events are also good opportunities for mingling and networking.

 

4. Competition: The fourth element is the competition. The best business plans will be rewarded with cash prizes, and honorable mention.

 

This years prices are about EUR 36 000,- (nok 300 000,-) AND one year with a mentor for the CEO from The Norwegian Mentor Program, www.mentorprogrammet.no/english-info/

 

Mentoring and being mentored: A win-win situation

 (Part 4 of the Series)

 
In Part 1 of this series last week we looked at what a mentor is and does. In Part 2 we looked at ways to find a mentor and in Part 3 we looked at how to be a mentor. In this article, we will talk about wether you are an mentee or a mentor it´s a win-win situation never the less.

 

 

Making a difference in the lives of others is one of the keys to fulfillment. Susan Krauss found this out in her study of happiness in midlife adults. No matter what their job, the most fulfilled were the people who were reaching out to the young and helping them through life hurdles.

 

By helping young colleagues, students, friends, and family members, midlife and older adults provide valuable insights based on their own life experiences, insights that can’t be easily transmitted through "book learning."

There is all kinds of advice that the experienced can give to the novice ranging from proper behavior in new situations to hands-on skills to succeed in a given profession. In fact, you don’t even have to be that old or experienced to pass along the knowledge you’ve acquired. I’ve seen many junior and senior undergrads help "mentor" their first-year and sophomore classmates. You don’t have to reach that far down the age hierarchy to pass the torch.

 

Passing along knowledge from one generation (defined loosely) to the next is a central feature of what psychologist Erik Erikson called "generativity." He believed that the feeling of connection you derive from mentoring helps your ego develop the value of caring. If you don’t develop this quality, you run the risk of what he called "stagnation."

 

My advice is: Don’t give up on the young. Don’t label them any more than you would like to be labeled. And when a young person appears disrespectful, don’t take it as a sign to write off an entire generation. The person you will be writing off is– yourself.

 


Mentoring entrepreneurs

I just come a mentoring session today with 4 entrepreneurs within education. They are 4 girls and one guy (the last girl couldn´t make it today). I´m going to be their mentor, but in a formal mentoring program.

The business idea is to make training for small kids and sell it to schools and kindergardens. It is a lot fun to meet them because they are so enthusiastic and willing to do almost everything you suggest. So today we had a two hours session about their businessplan and a presentation they are going to have on the 22. of september.

I am really looking forward to meet them again and work more with this brilliant idea.

Go Phi, Wenche, Hanne and Erlend.

Anthony Robbins

Last night I watched the first show Breakthrough with Anthony Robbins on NBC (http://www.nbc.com/breakthrough-with-tony-robbins/) and I am stunned.

It seems so easy, but it`s a lifechanger!

Look here: www.breakthroughinsider.com/

If you are in Oslo, Norway you can see the show at the Ballroom in Nedre Vollgate 11 in centrum, next wednesday 11/08-2010.

Fantastic, Go, Go Go…

Thank you inspirator.no/

Mentors and Mentoring: Being a Mentor

 (Part 3 of the Series)

 

In Part 1 of this series last week we looked at what a mentor is and does. In Part 2 we looked at ways to find a mentor. In this article, we will review some of the factors involved in becoming a mentor.

 

First Mentors

The former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Lew Platt, believes in the value of mentoring, In a letter addressing HP’s K-12 program, Platt sees "educating our children as both a business and a social imperative. After all, the young faces we see today are the faces of the workforce and customers of tomorrow." He recommends getting personally involved – "Speak to a class. Be a mentor for a student or teacher, either in person or by e-mail."

The State of California’s Resources Agency also has a mentor program that outlines the Qualifications of a Mentor, What Mentors Do, and What Makes You a Mentor that are all worth reading.

 

Adult Mentors
Mentors are common in educational settings. This University of Oregon site provides guidance in selecting a mentor as well as outlining the role and duties of the mentor.

 

Business Mentors

So what does it take to be a business mentor? It takes the same level of interest, commitment, and confidence in your own abilities that it takes to mentor a student. It also requires that you be sincerely interested in someone else’s growth. You won’t win any awards, but you will have the satisfaction of having done an important job.

Who becomes a mentor? Why do they do it? The answers are as varied as the people involved. Some of us were lucky enough to have had a mentor and want to repay that. Others just want to help out, be a positive influence, or give something to their community.

What ever your reason for being a mentor, you will find it a special experience. Nothing can quite match the self satisfaction you get from sharing your experience to help others.

 

Talk About It


Mentors and Mentoring: Finding a Mentor

(Part 2 of the Series)

In Part 1 of this series we looked at what a mentor is and does. If you have decided that a business or personal mentor could be a benefit to you, the link below will start you toward finding the right mentor.

Government Resources

Sometimes a government agency will offer to match entrepreneurs, or others in a Mentor Program which seeks to link those new in business with experienced business owners in a non-competing industry.

In the United States you can contact the SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) for a free business counselor. The Department of Defense (DOD) has a Mentor-Protege Program too.

Organizations

Sometimes you can find a mentor through a professional or trade organization to which you belong, or that you can join.

  • The Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Chapter of Professional Secretaries International has a mentoring program designed to help ensure active participation of all members in Chapter activities.
  • Another Australian site is Mentor Resources Of Tasmania, a mentor program sponsored by the Rotary International organization. It is designed for «keeping small businesses in business.»
  • The Culinary Institute of America also has its own mentor program.
  • Another mentor program to assist women is the Mentor Program of the Society of Women Engineers, Baltimore-Washington Section.
  • Marisol Productions has a great article that describes the types of relationships between mentors and proteges. It also talks about how to find a mentor.

Referals

Far and away the best place to look for a mentor, however, is right in front of you. Look around you at work. Is there an individual who you admire and respect? Someone who has always impressed you with their insight and preceptiveness?

Maybe your boss or your boss’s boss. Maybe it’s a Vice President in a different division. It could even be the older individual who isn’t currently a top executive of your firm, but who you know has lots of experience.

Approach that individual and ask if they would consider being your mentor. Depending on the individual, and your current relationship, your proposal will vary in the amount of detail and how it is delivered. At the very least, let them know what why you selected them and what you hope to learn from the assocation. If appropriate for the specific individual, you can also discuss amounts of time to be commited and what you will contribute.

Don’t put it off. What can you lose? Even if they decline to be your mentor, and few will, they will be flattered that you asked.

NEXT TIME

Do you have what it takes to be a mentor? Check the next article to find out what it takes to be a true guide and friend to another individual.