Cy Charney - The Portable Mentor: Your Anywhere, Anytime Career Coach and Problem Solver

AMACOM
American Management Association

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Copyright 2004, 2000 Cy Charney.

All rights reserved.

A previous edition of this book was published in Canada in 2000 by Stoddart Publishing Co., Ltd.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my three unique, wonderful,
and special children:
Daneal, whose zest for life and independence
amaze me,
Thalia, whose single-mindedness and
dedication inspire me, and
Davin, whose passion and soul uplift me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

No one person can put together a book with so many ideas. So, as before, I have been fortunate to have had guidance and advice from people with whom I work. Those who have made a significant contribution to the book include Chips Klein, President, Chipco Canada Inc., Thornhill, ON; Heather Taylor, HR Consultant, Toronto, ON; Shelly Zaidman-Averbuch, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, Thornhill, ON; Thalia Charney; Dianne Conrad, Program Manager, Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education, University of Alberta, Calgary, AB; Rhona Charney, Psychotherapist, Bellwood Health Care, Scarborough, ON; David Wright, Manager, Corporate Learning, Canada Trust, Toronto, ON; Bruce McAlpine, Partner, The Keith Bagg Group, Toronto, ON.

It takes only one match to light a forest fire.

Futurists believe that the intellectual capital of an organization will be its most important competitive weapon in the next century. They're wrong. It already is. Trained, knowledgeable people are the key ingredients for success. Conventional approaches to learning, such as classroom training, are giving way to alternative learning approaches such as mentoring and peer learning. Research shows conclusively that when people take responsibility for their own learning, retention is higher, application increases, and costs are lower. "Ownership" is typically not part of conventional training programs.

An effective mentoring program matches the needs and expectations of a protgs with an expertise of a mentor. Both require training, encouragement, incentives, and tools. The Portable Mentor is designed to be one of those tools of development. It focuses on non-technical skills. It is meant for anyone who does not have a mentor the great majority of individuals in the workplace. Moreover, since no mentor has answers to all the questions that protgs might ask, this quick reference guide will also help protgs to be more self-sufficient by giving them a tool to assist them in finding their own solutions. In this way protgs can gradually wean themselves from their mentors the ultimate measure of success.

The Portable Mentor is a collection of conventional wisdom that I, as a mentor to many people over the last quarter century, have been asked to provide. It will enable you to take more responsibility for your own growth and career and success.