Mentor Coaching
Mentoring has been around for thousands of years. Mentor Coaching is the latest form of this powerful guidance system.

If you study great individuals throughout history you’ll discover they, at one time, served as an apprentice. This apprenticeship usually lasted for years during which time they served as assistants to a master. These masters had them sweep floors, run errands, and do the “dirty work.”

In exchange, the masters would eventually share their secrets, their sources, and their contacts. In the process the dedicated apprentice learned to think like they thought, do what they did, and get the same masterful results.

In 1500 BC the King of Ithica, Odysseus, needed someone to look after his son, Telemachus, while he was fighting the Trojan War. He entrusted an old friend to take care of the boy and to impart his wisdom, values, and learnings. This wise and trusted counselor was named Mentor.

What Mentor Coaching Is Like
We live in a much different world now. Life is faster, technology is better, and communication –even halfway around the globe- happens in just seconds. The value of being guided by the wisdom of a Master or Mentor, however, remains as important as ever.

Every successful person has a mentor. Most likely they have had several mentors.

Mentors share knowledge and experience that is hard for beginners to grasp on their own. Formidable learning comes easier and faster with a mentor guiding the process.

Just think of the last time you spent hours trying to figure out a challenge with your computer. Then someone came along and --in two seconds-- showed you how to solve your dilemma. This is similar to the value of a Mentor Coach except with mentoring the objectives are much larger and the results more fantastic.

Like other forms of coaching, mentoring is about listening without judgment and questioning for clarification, and challenging for results. The safer and calmer the environment, the better the outcomes.

How Mentor Coaching Is Different
Where Mentor Coaching differs from other coaching specialties is in focus. Various types of coaches can help many people with varying levels of experience in numerous fields. The focus of a mentoring relationship is specific to the expertise of the mentor.

If an aspiring writer wanted to become a best-selling author the shortest route would be to hire a Mentor Coach with several best-selling books to their credit. A struggling, new attorney might work with a retired Senior Partner from a prestigious law firm. An aspiring speaker and trainer would become the protégé of a nationally recognized professional speaker.

Here’s something else to consider: An up-and-coming Life Coach would do well to engage a Mentor Coach who specializes in working with new coaches. Imagine what a boost that would be.

Mentor Coaching enables the client to take a shortcut without missing the scenery. As a mentor, your protégé will learn valuable life lessons from your mistakes and skip the painful –and often long- recovery period. A mentor provides the wisdom of a lifetime minus the pain of acquiring it.

Without a mentor there is no guide. Individuals without Mentor Coaches are limited to their own knowledge, experience and resources. They might be able to reach the same level of success –eventually—but the amount of time it will take combined with the pain of trail and error will take its toll.

For this reason Mentor Coaches easily command the highest fees in coaching. The requirements to become one, however, are extensive and very specialized.

What You Need to Know To Be a Mentor Coach
Mentor Coaching is a unique combination of undeniable expertise and exceptional coaching skills. This is not the level at which coaches normally start out. Even those individuals who have experienced tremendous success in their field may not have what it takes to mentor others.

Mentor Coaches know:

• How to create the ideal environment and to provide opportunities for their protégés to experience “teachable moments” and use new skills.
• How to transfer their knowledge and articulate the critical ideas and relevant points that lead to the desired results.
• How to manage the learning curve and allow protégés to explore the consequences of their potential decisions.

Mentor Coaches have:

• Significant expertise in their chosen field of mentoring.
• A burning passion to share their wisdom.
• Confidence and self-esteem to give the best of themselves

Lastly, the best Mentor Coaches are those who are protégés at the same time. Having your own mentor enhances all the relationships in your life.