Forfatter: MentorGuru

Thor-Erik Gulliksen is a leading authority and internationally recognized expert in mentoring, coaching, and personal development. With 20+ years of experience in leadership, marketing, education, and training, he has designed mentoring programs that have empowered over 800 individuals to unlock their full potential. As the author of Adepthåndboka and Mentorhåndboka, and the host of the podcast The Talk by Mentorguru, Thor-Erik is a trusted voice for those seeking growth and success. He is known for his engaging workshops, thought-provoking keynotes, and a unique blend of humor and practical tools that inspire both individuals and organizations. His expertise has been acknowledged internationally, making him a sought-after mentor and speaker across borders. Thor-Erik Gulliksen has been recognized as a leading international expert in mentoring, with his work influencing professionals and leaders globally. When he’s not on stage or behind the microphone, Thor-Erik is crafting his next book or article – always driven by his mission to help others grow.
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7 Keys To Promoting Your Podcast: Learning’s from the Podcast Awards

This is very interesting for a lot of us. Take the time to see the video and rerad the article.

Todd Cochrane and Krishna De on a 24 Hour podcast So you have decided to publish an online video podcast or an audio podcast – but what can you do in terms of promoting your podcast to increase the number of listeners or viewers and grow your community building your visibility online?

I was in conversation with Todd Cochrane today from Blubrry who also runs the annual Podcast Awards and he shared with me some interesting research which was undertaken across the podcasts that were nominated for an award. You can access the research results from the

Podcast Awards where over 2300 sites were reviewed HERE.

The outcome of the research that was undertaken when reviewing the podcasts that were contenders for the awards gives us some insights on best practice tips for publishing and promoting your podcast.

Using RSS Feeds: Make sure that you check your own RSS feeds are valid and have an independent feed for your podcast as people may only want to subscribe to your podcast – be that an audio podcast or a video podcast. The research indicated that of the podcasts entered for the awards:

  • 59% Had Feeds with errors but where valid
  • 51% Had an RSS Icon on their default landing page that was a Blog Feed only
  • 44% Of sites had a Podcast RSS feed you can subscribe to
  • 23% Had a Podcast RSS Feeds Buried on a sub page in their Website
  • 21% Had an RSS Icon on their default landing page that was Podcast Ready
  • 21% Had invalid Podcast RSS Feeds.

Brand your channel and your podcast: Ensure that your visual identity is carried through for your brand on your podcast channel and in your podcast artwork. The research indicated that:

  • 88% of the sites had good unique website branding.

Have Google help you be found: When updating your ID3 tags your audio file for a podcast remember that you still need to create effective show notes not only to help your listener understand the benefit of listening to your podcast episode, but also so that it will help your show be found in the search engines. The research indicated that:

  • 59% Had less than one paragraph of show notes for their past 5 podcast.

Integrate your marketing communications: Encourage listeners and viewers to take the next step in getting to know you and become part of your community – or even look to contact you direct. The research found that:

Provide your content in  variety of formats: Provide a choice in the ways that you provide your content – I created two video podcasts today but at the same time made sure that I have the MP3 files available for those people who prefer to listen versus watch content. The nominations for the podcasts awards were creating for following types of content:

  • 71% Were creating audio only
  • 20% Were creating audio and video
  • 9% Were creating video only.

Don’t forget the mobile web: Many people now are listening to podcasts when on the move and with the increase of the iPhone and other mobile platforms we need to make sure that we are ‘mobile ready’. The research found that:

  • 3% of Sites where mobile phone ready (iPhone, Android, Palm Pre).

Provide a variety of ways for people to consume your content: Not everyone listens or watches podcasts on an iPod – many people listen to streaming audio or watch videos online. But to increase your podcast community you need to make sure that your podcast can be accessed easily – from being able to be downloaded from your website to being found in the main podcast directories. The research found that:

  • 93% Had a Visible iTunes Subscription icon someplace in their website
  • 81% Had a Visible iTunes Subscription icon on their default landing Page
  • 51% Had a physical download link on their websites
  • 51% Did not have their show listed on PodcastAlley.com
  • 37% Did not have their show listed on Blubrry.com
  • 14% Did not have their show listed on Podcast.com
  • 6% Had a Visible Zune Marketplace icon on their websites
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Giving by Zig Ziglar

In the spirit of giving, this week we feature a brief story by Zig Ziglar about famed American contralto Marian Anderson. She was the first African American to be named a permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Enjoy!

Marian Anderson got her start by scrubbing floors for 10 cents an hour so that she could buy a pawnshop violin. The church she attended recognized her rare talent and raised money for a professional voice teacher to work with her. When the teacher pronounced her ready, she went to New York where critics crucified her. She returned home to regroup. Her mother and her church encouraged her and paid for more lessons.

Because of the intense racial prejudice in America, she went to Europe and took the continent by storm. She came back to America and sang at the Lincoln Memorial with more than 60,000 people in attendance. She sang “O Mia Fernando,” “Ave Maria,” “Gospel Train,” and “My Soul Is Anchored in the Lord,” among other songs.

One day a reporter asked Marian what the most satisfying moment in her life was. Without hesitation, she responded that (it was) when she was able to tell her mother that she did not have to take in any more washing. The reporter asked, “What did your mother give you?”

Marian Anderson responded, “Everything she had.” That’s greatness, and giving everything we have is our key to greatness.

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What will you be doing on the JCI day?

How will you celebrate JCI Day this year? Commemorate the founding of JCI this December 11 with the rest of the leading global network of young active citizens.

December 11, 1944, 30 young, enthusiastic active citizens from eight countries — Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States — met in Mexico City to sign a declaration that led to the establishment of Junior Chamber International (JCI).

“A good citizen a better citizen …”
In St. Louis, Missouri, USA, a young man name Henry Giessenbier was inspired by Colonel H.N. Morgan, a prominent St. Louis citizen, who asked for help to improve the city. Giessenbier came up with the idea of “bringing the young men of our great city together into one grand body with that great purpose of fellowship, advancement and everything which would make a good boy a better boy, a good student a more proficient scholar and a good citizen a better citizen.”

To achieve that objective, on October 13, 1915, Giessenbier and 32 other young men formed the Young Men’s Progressive Civic Association (YMPCA), which became the St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce.

After World War I, Giessenbier contacted similar groups of young active citizens in other cities, and, subsequently, 29 clubs from around the nation formed the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce. Henry Giessenbier was elected the first President of the National Organization.

Going International
The organization extended to other countries in 1923 with the establishment of the Winnipeg Board of Trade in Canada as the first Junior Chamber outside the United States. By 1928, the idea of an international organization crossed the Atlantic Ocean to England.

In 1940, the United States Junior Chamber passed a resolution approving a program to further mutual interests with other young people in countries in Central and South America.

In 1943, J. Allyn Taylor of Canada and Vance Graham of the United States took a tour to seven Latin American countries. Much of the material explaining the movement was translated into Spanish by a Mexican schoolteacher from El Paso, Texas.

Despite war-time travel complications and border-crossing problems, the trip was successful. The Junior Chamber representatives found young people in Central America quite receptive to the formation of Junior Chambers in their countries.

The Inter-American Conference
Taylor and Graham established Junior Chambers in Mexico City, Guatemala City, San Salvador, Tegucigalpa (Honduras), Managua (Nicaragua), San Jose (Costa Rica), and Panama. The next step was the all-important Inter-American Conference in Mexico City in 1944.

Excitement ran high in 1944 as young people in Mexico, the United States and Canada worked out the details for the first Inter-American Conference. Taylor and Graham’s trip convinced enough young men of the value of Junior Chamber involvement. They all agreed the time had come to form the international organization of Junior Chambers of Commerce.

The Inter-American Conference was held in Mexico City from December 7 until December 11, 1944. On December 11, 1944, the declaration that led to the establishment of Junior Chamber International (JCI) was signed and Raul Garcia Vidal of Mexico was elected as the first president of the new international organization.

The First World Congress
In February of 1946, the first World Congress was held in Panama City, Panama and was attended by 44 delegates from 16 countries. The international organization was formally constituted on the premise that young people working for mutual understanding could prevent another holocaust like World War II. A temporary constitution was approved, and the word «Commerce» was omitted from the official name.

Erasmo Chambonnet of Panama was elected the second JCI President at that Congress, and Australia and Canada were officially affiliated.

December 11, 2009
Every year, JCI Members worldwide celebrate the birth of JCI as an international organization that has developed millions of young active citizens throughout the years in various creative ways.

How will you and your JCI Local and National Organizations commemorate JCI Day in 2009?

Original article from www.jci.cc.

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From Homeless to Harvard

Liz Murray rose from the streets of New York City to become an international speaker, author and life coach.

I´m not proud of it,» says Liz Murray. Several years ago, she’d been invited to address an audience in Utah. Other heavyweight speakers were scheduled—Mikhail Gorbachev would follow her—and the event was hosted by 7 Habits mastermind Stephen Covey.

Before she went on, Covey approached and asked how she was doing. And all Murray could think was,I think I stole this guy’s book.

This is a story about an amazing women that I find in a magazine called: Success Magazin, read the whole story here

www.successmagazine.com/your-personal-best-from-homeless-to-harvard/PARAMS/article/825

If you are not following this magazine already, then start today…

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What To Talk About When There’s Nothing To Talk About

In the time-poor environment that we have created, mentorees are very concerned about wasting their mentor’s time. Mentorees are often hesitant to contact their mentor or schedule meetings when they have no burning issue to discuss. This is a mistake.

You might feel there’s no point meeting at times when you have no problems. When you are working toward longer-term goals and are progressing but have no current actions or outcomes to discuss, a meeting may seem unnecessary. And it’s easy to skip meeting if you are very busy with day-to-day activities and haven’t focused on your personal development since the last mentoring conversation.

It is good to have an agenda for mentoring conversations, even if it’s just a few bullet points, because it shows respect for the mentor’s time, it helps maintain focus and provides both parties with a sense of accomplishment and completion. However, a lack of an agenda should not stop a mentoring conversation. Mentors may need to take the lead to reassure their partner of their commitment because mentoring conversations when it seems «there’s nothing to talk about» may be vital.


No Problem
Mentoring conversations are not just about solving problems or making decisions. They are about the availability of a person, with whom to have a conversation that provokes creative and critical thinking. A key benefit of mentoring is the relationship. However, the relationship needs to be established and well maintained if problems or important decisions are to be confidently shared when they do arise.

Conversations about what is going well are extremely useful too. Celebrating success is not simply a feel-good exercise. The purpose of mentoring is to create and capture insight, then use it. Reviewing positive outcomes and satisfaction will reveal and reinforce the constructive behaviours that led to success and clarify personal values and priorities. By listening and questioning a mentor can facilitate much greater awareness and positive actions that will enhance the mentoree’s life.

Long-term Goals
People often use mentoring to identify career direction and work towards it. These goals are not usually achieved over night but as a result of specific actions over time. So naturally, there will be pauses between. In a mentoring program over a finite period, the early momentum can come to a halt after initial action steps are implemented. Some mentoring relationships can survive long gaps between contacts but some won’t. People wonder how best to get value in the interim.

It is useful to have a «default agenda» a standard format that produces constructive conversation. This could be as simple as reviewing the week/fortnight/month’s highlights and low points and accomplishments. The mentor may ask a series of questions that prompt reflection and learning, such as: «what’s working well for you, right now?» and «what could be improved?» My mentor asks: «what is your greatest challenge, right now?» A new, short-term goal and actions, or at least awareness and focus, often result.

Personal Development
No matter what qualifications, age or career stage one has achieved, on-going personal development is a must. Even if an individual development plan negotiated with a manager, linked to performance appraisal and formalised, taking personal responsibility for self-directed learning and development is essential. It is easy, to let the demands of day-to-day work and hectic life style get in the way of personal aspirations and our growth as a human being. If we lose sight of what is truly important, if we have no sense of purpose, life can become a meaningless round of chores interspersed with moments of instant gratification.

Mentoring conversations are all about discovering meaning and purpose – for mentors as well as mentorees. The mentor might share his or her own life-lessons and insights that led to personal development. This can be immensely valuable to both parties .

The social support offered by relationships, should not be underestimated in the too-busy life so many of us lead. When you don’t have time, or have nothing to talk about may be exactly the time to have a mentoring conversation! Investing time really communicating another human being, taking time out to pause and reflect or simply stoping to smell the roses (or the coffee) is never a waste of time! That’s how mentoring works.

The author of this article is Ann Rolfe, and was first published in 2010 on www.mentoring-works.com.

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Patrick Knight in critical but stable condition

Patrick survived the shooting on Thursday, November 26, in Jupiter, Florida (USA), a city about 200 miles from Miami, but Patrick’s pregnant wife, Lisa, and three other family members did not. Patrick was hospitalized and was in critical but stable condition on Friday afternoon.

Patrick, an attorney in Miami, Florida, has been actively involved in JCI since he joined in 1999. As JCI Coconut Grove (USA) President, he revived that local organization, nearly tripling its membership.

His involvement as a JCI trainer has also been outstanding. He contributed to the success of the 2009 JCI World Congress in Hammamet as the host of the JCI Morning Shows.

On behalf of JCI members worldwide, JCI President Jun Sup Shin and JCI Secretary General Edson A. Kodama would like to extend our deepest condolences to Patrick as well as to family and friends on the death of Lisa and the three other family members. We pray for Patrick’s prompt and complete recovery and will keep members abreast of his condition.

Articles covering the tragedy:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/thanksgiving-massacre-gunman-kills-relatives-dinner/story?id=9189258

http://ww.examiner.com (the article is taken away)

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI137435/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577206,00.html?test=latestnews

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/27/florida.shooting/index.html

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/northpbc/jupiter/story/Shooting-at-Thanksgiving-gathering-in-Jupiter/C9CCTgKqtUG6tFM6t3SmBA.cspx

http://www.wpbf.com/news/21735694/detail.htmlhttp://www.wptv.com/content/news/northpbc/jupiter/story/jupiter-shooting-victim-makayla-sitton/o4dQzBCDU0eXmlvrsRWYhw.cspx

http://www.wptv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=16342@wptv.dayport.com&navCatId=3

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Five Benefits of Working with a Coach or Mentor

Being a leader can be a really lonely existence.  Expectations are high and it can often be a real struggle to stay on top of your game and continually deliver great results.  Continuing to develop as a leader has never been so vital not least because of the major challenges facing many organisations right now.

For those at a more senior level working with a coach or mentor is often a great way of continuing to develop.  So what are the benefits?

Benefit 1: Thinking time

The pace at which leaders operate in organisations is often relentless and means that there is little or no time to stand back and take stock.  Being able to stand back from issues and challenges allows you to clearly think through the choices, look at challenges in different ways and ultimately to take better decisions.  And if you are taking better decisions it means better results for you personally and the organisation.

Benefit 2: Ongoing support

Training is great and I have been to many great training courses over the years.  Trouble is most training courses are a one shot opportunity.  What I mean by that is that you go along to the course, leave enthusiastic and an few months later find you are back where you started.  If you are a leader looking to be more effective over the long term you know that it is going to take time.  Having that ongoing support can help you make that sustained change in performance.

Benefit 3: Personal attention

In my experience of working with clients there are often some very specific areas of focus that leaders and managers want to work on.  Sometimes it might be about strategies and tactics that they can apply and other times it might be tackling areas of self doubt or misconceptions.  I also notice that they rarely need to work on all aspects of a particular topic but more on one or two areas.   The nature of the relationship means that it is much easier to tailor the programme to meet specific needs.

Benefit 4: Highly time efficient

I know that when I was in leadership and management roles, creating the time to attend a 2 or 3 day course was often a real challenge.  By comparison finding a couple of hours a month to work with a coach was much more time efficient and effective.

Benefit 5: Return on Investment

Ultimately if you are investing time, money and energy into something the return on what you have invested will be important.  Research into the benefits of coaching indicates that the return on investment is in the region of 500-700%.  Now these numbers might well look huge but let’s take a look at an example.  Imagine you are a senior manager who aspires to be a Director.  Ask yourself what’s the difference in salary and benefits?  In a field like accountancy, the differential between a number one and number two can easily be in the £30-50,000 per annum range.  If you are in the number one job for say 10 years, that could mean an extra £300-£500,000 to your earnings.  So look at your investment in terms of the lifetime value.

Bottom Line – Continuing to develop as a leader is no longer an optional extra.  If you are serious about realising your professional and personal potential, working with a coach or mentor might just be the catalyst.

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How To Maintain The Momentum Of Mentoring

Mentoring program coordinators need to have ongoing communication with participants to stimulate engagement, motivation and answer questions or concerns. But how do you keep up the contact in a useful and interesting way? Many successful programs send regular Mentoring Works Tips.

Mentoring Tips could be one page, easy to read and practical. They should be designed for mentors and suitable for mentorees and managers. Consistently delivering Mentoring Tips:

  • Provides mentors with information, tools and motivation
  • Keeps mentorees engaged in the process
  • Informs managers of mentoring techniques and benefits

 

The author of this article is Ann Rolfe, and was first published 10. november 2010 on www.mentoring-works.com.