I was especially excited about this perspective on mentorship, written by Tonya Surman because it’s really been happening all along. We traditionally think of mentorship as, a one on one, older mentoring younger model, which is the deffinition we use the most. When you think of how “groups or circles of people”  have impacted your life as mentors, this idea is not really new.

As I reflect on this in my personal journey, I can see how this has been working in my friendships, work, community, leisure, personal and business lives. When we join in with people in these areas, where we share commonality, we naturally share with them about ourselves. I have heard wisdom and inspiration from people very close to me and people who are virtual strangers!

Mentoring is about helping others grow and progress in their lives. The sharing of knowledge, experience wisdom and inspiration can come from one on one, or groups. The difference for me is mentoring groups offer more diverse perspectives, which can be very helpful, but can also be more confusing. Sometimes a one on one with someone who really knows me and can help me drill down and cut through to identify the answers or process is just what I need!

Whether you seek a one on one mentor, or a group to help you, mentorship is a rich, rewarding and a valuable part of being happy and successful. All great leaders have them and seek them.

Without Mentor, Odysseus may have gotten lost in his personal storm forever!

Who are you mentoring and being mentored by? How is this enriching you?

This is a great example of  mentorship as a group sport..

“The new model is networked mentorship, where we access a diverse range of people with different levels of experience from a variety of disciplines. In this way we learn from a wide range of people, ideas and resources. And it is way more fun.”  Tonya Surman, recently named an Ashoka Fellow, is a co-founder and executive director of the Centre for Social Innovation.