Mentoring

January 17th is International Mentoring Day!  Today is a day  of international conversation on social media where photos, videos and messages of powerful mentoring stories are shared.

Here are 10 books on mentoring.

Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Faith by Sharon Daloz Parks - The "twenty-something" years of young adulthood are increasingly recognized as critical but puzzling. Building on the foundation she established in her classic work, The Critical Years, Sharon Parks urges thoughtful adults to assume responsibility for providing strategic mentorship during this important decade in life. She reveals also, however, the ways young adults are influenced not only by individual mentors but also by mentoring environments.

Co-Active Coaching: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life by Laura Whitworth - With the first edition of Co-Active Coaching, Laura Whitworth and her pioneering co-authors set the stage for what has become a cultural and business phenomenon, and helped launch the professional practice of coaching. Their flexible Co-Active Coaching model has stood the test of time as a transformative communication process that co-workers and teammates, managers, teachers, and students can use to build strong and collaborative relationships. In this new edition, the authors reflect today's reality of how coaching has moved beyond its initial focus on life skills to become an integral part of an organization's toolkit for developing leaders. Already used as the definitive resource in dozens of corporate and professional development programs, Co-Active Coaching has been updated to include the latest terminology and a variety of fresh coaching examples drawn from the authors' firsthand experiences with thousands of international coaching trainees and clients. The power-packed Coach's Toolkit has been expanded to include more than 35 exercises, questionnaires, checklists, and reproducible forms. And a CD containing sample audio coaching sessions, and printable forms from the Toolkit, have been added to make these proven principles and techniques practical.

Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring by John Wooden - From the legendary basketball coach who inspired generations of athletes and businesspeople, an inspiring book about the power of mentoring and being mentored.
After eight books, many of them bestsellers, A Game Plan for Life is the one closest to John Wooden's heart: a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his college coach, his wife, Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Teresa. The second half is built around interviews with some of the many people he mentored over the years, including Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Bill Walton, fellow coaches, family members, and even a middle school coach in Canada. Their testimony takes readers inside the lessons Wooden taught to generations of players, bringing out the very best in them not just as athletes but as human beings. In all, it's an inspiring primer on how to achieve success without sacrificing principles, and on how to build one of the most productive and rewarding relationships available.

Getting There: A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal - The path to success is rarely easy or direct, and good mentors are hard to find. In Getting there, thirty leaders in diverse fields share their secrets to navigating the rocky road to the top. In an honest, direct, and engaging way, these role models describe the obstacles they faced, the setbacks they endured, and the vital lessons they learned. They dispense not only essential and practical career advice, but also priceless wisdom applicable to life in general. Getting there is for everyone--from students contemplating their futures to the vast majority of us facing challenges or seeking to reach our potential.

Mentoring 101 by John Maxwell -  Ask the best leaders in any organization how they learned to be successful, and you often hear the same answer: they had a good mentor.
Now international leadership expert John Maxwell gives the bottom line on mentoring in one short, easy-to-read volume. In Mentoring 101, he gives the steps needed to effectively reproduce your success in someone else. He explains how to choose the right person to mentor, how to create the right environment for leaders to thrive and grow, and how to get started.  What if you spent your entire life achieving but never shared your wisdom with anyone else? don't let your success end with you.  As a mentor, you can create a legacy that will last long after you are done reading.

One Minute Mentoring: How to Find and Work with a Mentor - And Why You'll Benefit From Being One by Kenneth Blanchard & Claire Diaz-Ortiz - The bestselling co-author of the legendary The One Minute Manager and a former Twitter executive join forces to create the ultimate guide to creating powerful mentoring relationships. While most people agree that having a mentor is a good thing, they don't know how to find one or use one. And despite widespread approval for the idea of being a mentor, most people don't think they have the time or skills to do so. Positive mentoring relationships can change the way we lead and help us succeed. In One Minute Mentoring, legendary management guru Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz-Ortiz, a former Twitter executive and early employee, combine their knowledge to provide a systematic approach to intergenerational mentoring, giving readers great insight into the power and influence of mentoring and encouraging them to pursue their own mentoring relationships. Using his classic parable format, Blanchard explains why developing effective communication and relationships across generations can be a tremendous opportunity for companies and individuals alike. One Minute Mentoring is the go-to source for learning why mentoring is the secret ingredient to professional and personal success.

Organic Mentoring: A Mentor's Guide to Relationships with Next Generation Women by Sue Edwards and Barbara Neumann - We are experiencing a mentoring crisis today. One key reason is that too many women cling to an outdated formulaic idea of what mentoring is all about. When we hear the word "mentoring” we conjure up a picture that fit our experience decades ago. Then we look in the mirror and don’t see an adequate mentor staring back at us. Our preconceived ideas about what today’s young women want in a mentor convince us we are not qualified to be mentors—but we are wrong. What we don’t realize is that younger women today are far more likely to want a relationship with that woman in the mirror than the conjured-up perfect mentor in our head. Organic Mentoring explores foundational issues that explain why beloved but outdated mentoring methods are no longer effective. The book looks at the cultural changes and fast-paced digital advancements that shape young thought and behavior but weaken the link between generations. It walks through the new values, preferences, ideas, and problems of the next generation and how these issues impact mentoring. Then the authors guide the reader through landmines to avoid and approaches that work today.

Parent, Teacher, Mentor, Friend: How Every Adult Can Change Kids' Lives by Peter Benson - Detailing daily actions that have a lasting significance on kids, this guide for all adults shows that positive adult-child relationships are one of the most important factors affecting a young person's development. Rather than focusing on teens' problems, this handbook takes a proactiveapproach and highlights hopeful actions adults can take to have a positive impact on a young person's life. For example, adults will learn to use 30-second encounters to offer compliments and to ask meaningful questions of children that lead to deeper conversations. This call to action invites every adult to be an advocate for children and teenagers, promoting happier, healthier, and more successful youth.

Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor: A Master Class on Mentoring, Motivating, and Making it Work! by Tim Gunn -  A timeless book of lessons on mentorship, teaching, and learning from New York Times bestselling author Tim Gunn, host of Project Runway and the reality show Under the Gunn. 
Tim Gunn, America's favorite reality TV cohost, is known for his kind but firm approach in providing wisdom, guidance, and support to the scores of design hopefuls on Project Runway. Having begun his fashion career as a teacher at Parsons The New School for Design, Tim knows more than a thing or two about mentorship and how to convey invaluable pearls of wisdom in an approachable, accessible manner.
While Gunn's Golden Rules showcased Tim "as life coach," imparting lessons based on his personal experiences, Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor will focus on Tim "as teacher." Divided into sections on common themes--leadership, curiosity, diversity, understanding, empathy--this practical, timely book takes us on a journey through life lessons and uses Tim's own personal experiences, from the classroom to the therapist's office, to illustrate larger concepts. Each chapter will end with a "life assignment," where Tim challenges you to apply the lessons you've learned in practical mentoring or teaching situations.
So grab a pencil and start taking notes: class is officially in session!

You're On Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years by Marjorie Savage - Realistic and practical advice for parents of college-age kids
Parents whose kids are away at college have a tough tightrope to walk: they naturally want to stay connected to their children, yet they also need to let go. What's more, kids often send mixed messages: they crave space, but they rely on their parents' advice and assistance. Not surprisingly, it's hard to know when it's appropriate to get involved in your child's life and when it's better to back off.
You're On Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me) helps parents identify the boundaries between necessary involvement and respect for their child's independence. Marjorie Savage, who as a parent herself empathizes with moms and dads, but who as a student services professional understands kids, offers advice on wide-ranging issues, including:
* How to cope with your family's mood changes in the months before move-in day on campus
* Why students complain about the food but still manage to gain fifteen pounds their first year
* How to teach basic financial responsibility, including the handling of credit cards and academic expenses
* When parental intervention is critical
With anecdotes and suggestions from experienced parents and college staffs nationwide, the strategies and tips provided throughout will help you to create a loving, supportive partnership responsive to the needs of both you and your children.