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Global Mentor

  • Train + Mentor

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Some of my work has resulted in big or small changes.  However, my greatest success has been with the people around the globe who I have advised or mentored.

Recently, as my time has become more limited, I have been more selective and now make it my priority to work with people who:

  • Mentor or train others
  • Live and plan to remain in a developing community or country
  • Put in the time to learn on their own.

The first point is obvious.  It makes more sense to train, work or mentor someone who will use the information and take the initiative to help others do the same.  It is sometimes better to mentor a driven individual with mediocre skills than to work with a lazy person with great skills.  It is possible for skills to develop and change.  However, hard work and investment are what matter over the long run. Research has shown that perseverance is a better indicator of success than talent.

My second criterion is a recent one.  Employees or trainees that plan to live and work in the country are a sustainable investment even if they switch fields or change jobs. As labor has become more mobile, it has resulted in a global talent drain.    Individuals with training and education often move to another country and take their skills with them. These skills are often not used again as economic migrants to a new country.

Finally, I do the work and ask others to do the same.  I have read over 500 books in my field and watched hundreds of video of conferences or instruction videos.   It is impossible to guess the number of articles, magazines or blog posts I have read over the years.

I am not alone.  An Afghan staffer, Dr. Habibi, lived in Kabul and received his graduate degree online from India.  My Ukrainian colleague Maryna attends marketing classes on her weekends.  My friend Manik reads books.  These mid-career professionals will always get more of my time because they invest time and effort.

I once met a man who learned English by watching YouTube videos.   He was clearly motivated and well worth my time.

Some of my work has resulted in big or small changes.  However, my greatest success has been with the people around the globe who I have advised or mentored.

Recently, as my time has become more limited, I have been more selective and now make it my priority to work with people who:

  • Mentor or train others
  • Live and plan to remain in a developing community or country
  • Put in the time to learn on their own.

The first point is obvious.  It makes more sense to train, work or mentor someone who is going to use the information and will take the initiative to help others do the same.  It is sometimes better to mentor a driven individual with mediocre skills than to work with a lazy person who has great skills.  It is possible for skills to develop and change.  However, hard work and investment are what matter over the long run. Research has shown that perseverance is a better indicator of success than talent.

My second criteria is a recent one.  Employees or trainees that plan to live and work in the country are a sustainable investment even if they switch fields or change jobs. As labor has become more mobile, it has resulted in a global talent drain.    Individuals with training and education often move to another country and take their skills with them. These skills are often not used again as economic migrants to a new country.

Finally, I do the work and ask others to do the same.  I have read over 500 books in my field.   My reading for work and fun overlaps, so it is often difficult to separate or track the titles.   It is impossible to guess the number of articles, magazines or blog posts I have read over the years.   Some of the material  is outside of my direct field. However, much of it is on topics that are linked such as graphic design, sociology, history, change management, fonts, and website usability.

I am not alone.  An Afghan staffer, Dr. Habibi, lives in Kabul and received his graduate degree online from India.  My Ukrainian colleague Maryna attends marketing classes on her weekends.  My friend Manik reads books.  These are mid-career professionals who will always get more of my time because they invest the time and effort.

I once met a man who learned the English language by watching YouTube videos.   He was clearly motivated and well worth my time.