· web viewpublished author ,speaker and elite entrepreneur. table of contents. introduction
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How to Attract a Mentor For Business, Life and Success
Jim Pagiamtzis
Published Author ,Speaker and Elite Entrepreneur
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………… Page 3
Quote ………………………………………………………………….. Page 4
My Experience ……………………………………………………….. Page 5
Role Models ……………………………………………………………Page 7
Coach ………………………………………………………………… Page 9
Virtual Mentor……………………………………………………….. Page 13
It’s all about You……………………………………………………. Page 15
What to look for?........................................................................ Page 18
Why do I have a Mentor………………………………………….. Page 21
Analysis of Quote from Mentors Mentor………………………. Page 24
Business, Life & Success………………………………………… Page 27
Books and Audios…………………………………………………. Page 29
Conclusion………………………………………………………….. Page 30
About the author……………………………………………………. Page 31
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Introduction
It a few short years I have been able to write and speak about the importance of
having a Mentor.
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Quote
“Everyone needs a mentor, regardless of what stage your are in your career.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an employee, you need a role model to guide
you through your journey of success”
-Max Haroon-
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My Experience
In the spring of 2003 I decided to go out networking to learn more about business
($ales and marketing) and attended an event where through a referral, I met Max
Haroon who at the time had done a lot of work in the Internet and IT training for
many years.
A few weeks later I had the opportunity to sit down and have a coffee with Max and
learned more about what he had accomplished in his 35 years in business. He had
completed many consulting assignments, forging alliances, as well as initiating
various entrepreneurial enterprises. His work had spanned many countries and he
has spoken at conferences and symposiums.
Max ran an organization call Society of Internet Professionals(SIP)
(www.sipgroup.org) – a not-for-profit group in the Toronto and Richmond Hill area.
For the first year I had the opportunity to volunteer and participate at various
symposiums and attended multiple networking events with Max. Quickly, I realized
his wealth of knowledge and learned more about his experience in growing
companies to certain levels of financial success. Max calls himself a “social
entrepreneur” The title suits him well (by the way he dress a well and has a great
handshake).
A memorable moment occured when we attended an event in Richmond Hill,
Ontario met a wonderful woman whose experience was in Business Protocol. She
showed us a VHS movie (yes your read right VHS!) on “How to Run An Effective
Booth At A Trade Show”. To this day, I remind Max how the movie completely
changed mine and also his perspective. Not only in Marketing and Sales, but also
the specific reasons things are done to create an atmosphere and environment not
only for attendees, but the code and conduct of the booth participants.
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As time progressed I became more involved with SIP and began to market and
promote events through word-of-mouth, handing out flyers at different events and
sending out an monthly newsletters (great story about that later).
We held symposiums every couple of months where we featured specialists in the
Internet/IT field and, special guests in marketing and sales.
As the months progressed I had also done some data-entry work and helped to
maintain our database. Monthly newsletters called the SIP Post were sent out to
our sponsors, volunteers, and participants advising on events occurring with SIP
and associated partners.
As confidence and self-esteem began to grow, I had the opportunity to speak and
make some small announcements at the events, which to this day, I remember
being nervous and bubbling my words. It was the start of the journey that would
give me an environment to propel me on the entrepreneurial journey of success.
Role Models
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Role models are a great source to learn from. You can learn from their stories of
how they achieved success. From Jim Carrey, Tiger Woods, Anita Roddick, the
founder of Body Shop, to Oprah Winfrey.
Friends and Family - For some people this may be a great resource to learn from.
They may have family members who have run or who are currently running
successful businesses. While others may have friends who have their own
business, and you may want to learn more about it, take the opportunity to have a
coffee or lunch with them to learn more about their experiences.
Professional Associations - There are many fantastic associations in Toronto
from Enterprise Toronto (www.enterprisetoronto.com). This runs morning seminars
throughout the Toronto Region on various topics. Some other organizations are
listed below:
Bizlaunch.ca Where entrepreneurs start (through seminar and webinar.
Teachers at School - We may have had teacher from our College/University or
high school days that we admired and learned some great lessons from.
Community Leaders - Every community has its leaders and there are many ways
to learn more about them. There are neighborhood newspapers that have featured
stories on successful businesses in the area. There are neighborhood events that
take place, focusing on community and political events. In the spring and summer
time there are many events held by different cultural groups and organizations that
you could attend.
The key point is to meet new people and ask questions on what they do and how
they achieved their success. They are all around you and the journey begins when
you go and make the effort to put energy into seeking and learning.
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The key focus of a coach is her or e gives you a “specific direction”. A Great
example of this is a few years ago myself, my brother and a friend decided to learn
how to skate and play hockey. So we signed up for beginner lessons and we were
very excited about the experience. We bought brand new skates, helmets and
hockey pants.
Prior to the classes we practiced dressing up in our hockey equipment to
comfortable. We felt like “gladiators” on skates! Very soon the lessons were to
begin and the excitement was growing as the day got closer.
And finally the day arrived! At the first practice we met our teammates. We had a
variety of ages and backgrounds on our team.
As we got on the ice I quickly realized that this was going to be a very challenging
experience. I had skated very briefly prior to this and did not have many happy
memories. The coaches put us through some drills and I and few other participants
were lagging behind. Frustration began to set in and I was beginning to have
doubts. During the second lesson, I had a friend come and watch me practice and
this is where I had a significant experience. I ended up falling on the ice very
heavily, headfirst, suffered a brief concussion, and was bed ridden for the next few
days. This was a turning point for me. My brother and his friend ended up quitting
after three practices, and I also had a choice to make after suffering the
concussion. I had a lot reasons to quit, but many more to stay! I wanted to learn
how to skate and was willing to put the effort in to do so. As I continued the lessons
the coach made this statement, “You’re not going to learn how to skate coming one
day a week. You are going to have to go on your own time and practice”. I took his
statement very seriously and that’s exactly what I did. I went to indoor family skates
on Sundays and to open skating arenas in my neighborhood. We got some
practice times at the local arena with our teammates and gradually we got better. I
got some great tips from my co-worker who had been skating for many years. He
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told me to practice skating with a puck and learn to control it, also to overextend my
skating to allow the body to feel the extra tension.
I began to apply his tips and suggestions and through practice and persistence my
skating got better and better. Confidence and self-esteem began to grow and I was
more balanced on my skates when I was in front of the net. It worked because
that’s how I scored most of my goals!
A great personality I like to watch is Don Cherry. He does a first period rant with
Ron Mclean on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday Nights. Don Cherry was an
NHL coach for many years and shares some great examples and highlights of
players who are persistent and achieved their goals.
I recently listened to a lecture called “Everyone’s a Coach!” by Don Shula and
Wayne Blanchard. Shula was a successful coach for many years in the NFL and
Blanchard has written many books in the personal development field. It was great
series to listen to and learn more about Shula’s coaching experiences and how
they tie in to Blanchard’s teaching. Key statement was in the title “EVERYONE IS
COACH”.
School
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Recently, I had the opportunity to teach a program called “Economics of Staying in
School” with a co-worker of mine. We spent the better part of the day teaching a
specific course outline, utilizing interactive board games to teach budgeting and
dream building to a gifted class of grade 7 & 8 students. It was a memorable
experience and the students had a better understanding of why their parents plan
and follow a budget, and how to evaluate a pay cheque and how that affects what
they can buy for themselves.
Teachers - Throughout my school experience I had some great teachers. During
the 1st year in college I had a teacher named Mr. Allison Griffiths who taught a
class in Purchasing Management. The one thing you need when attending this
class was lots of paper!
During high school I had a great teacher who taught us how to type. To this day I
thank her for those exercises she put us through. Becoming a writer and author
made it easier to use all the eight fingers and two thumbs!
Later on, I will be mentioning more books that have made an impact on being an
effective coach.
Virtual Mentor
Max Haroon had mentioned having a Virtual Mentor at a talk that he gave in
February 2008, at the Mariott Hotel in Toronto. I feel it important to give a few
suggestions he mentioned:
Why books?
Through this booklet I will be mentioning many books that been crucial in learning
and developing through the years.
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Books on Coaching, Mentorship, and Leadership are available in many places from
bookstores, libraries and yard sales. Personally, I am an avid cyclist and go bike
riding on the weekends throughout the city. I have come across hundreds of great
books, CD’s, and DVD’s of every topic. Roadside treasures, as I call them, are
available all the time. People are spring cleaning or moving and always discarding
things.
Stories of Celebrities
Either when you go the movies, the local bookstore and/or the local newspaper
there are always some great feature stories on local and worldwide celebrities that
you can learn more about from afar. Jim Carrey is one my favorites. The Ontario
born actor has had a phenomenal career , but his early days were not as easy. He
had some challenges himself but his abilities and talents that he kept working,from
being on “In Living Color” for many years propelled him to movie stardom and
became the actor he is today, due to the antics he did on the show.
Will Smith is also an interesting story. Recently, I read a mini-biography called Will
Power by Jan Berenson. The story covers the start of his career as a rapper to
then being a young star on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air leading to the ups and
downs of his life and to extraordinary movie career featuring Independence Day
and Men in Black.
Biographies
There are many amazing biographies available to read from past and present
people, such as, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Donald Trump, Anita
Roddick founder of Body Shop, and Living the Good Life by David Patchell-Evans
founder of the Good Life Fitness.
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DVD’s
Movies like Remember the Titans, Facing the Giants, Rudy, and Pursuit of
Happiness are true stories that capture the spirit and essence of having a
successful and fulfilling life.
Audios
As mentioned earlier I have either purchased or found roadside treasures such as
audio cassettes on various speakers and leaders. Local libraries or bookstores are
a great resource for material like this.
It’s all about YOU
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Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, repeatedly
talks about “begin with the end in mind”. To reach any point of success it is very
important to have people available along your journey to talk to and discuss your
journey with to make sure you are on the correct course.
A great book by Burke Hedges called, You Inc., where he states in literally every
chapter that YOU are the where it begins and where it ends. Being able to market
and present yourself is the key to attracting and meeting the right people who will
be the resources you will work with and talking to in your journey.
A few years ago I created a slogan that says “Get Connected, Make it Happen” I
learn to “connect” with a professional handshake and then give a brief infomercial
about my business to “Make it Happen”. It takes two people to make a business or
project happen.
Social Networking
Social Networking websites have spread like wildfire on the Internet with the key
purpose of maintaining relationships between friends and family or create social
entrepreneurial organizations. Websites from LinkedIn, Sprouter, and Twitter have
been utilized by people of all ages to keep connected and have a professional
profile (LinkedIn) or market and promote yourself (FaceBook).
For the past year I have been on Facebook and have had some tremendous
success from getting connected to old school mates, meeting entrepreneurs who
are authors, speakers and writers, getting referrals and having the ability to
promote speaking engagements and events that I have attended. These are
simple and effective resources that can be used with “specific intent” to promote
yourself or business activities.
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Albert Einstein has a quote that says “the significant problems that we face in life
can not be solved with the same level of thinking we were at when we created
them”.
There are solutions to problems that require fresh thinking. The ability to find and
seek people who can assist you in overcoming certain challenges is how you get to
the next level.
Preparedness meets Opportunity
Being a prepared professional and knowing your unique skills and strengths will
allow you to be the best you can be when opportunity arrives.
What to look for?
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The important thing to remember is looking for in attracting a mentor is that they
have the “fruit on the tree” as Max Haroon has told me many times and have
achieved some success already.
Accomplishments
I recently heard Andrew Patricio, founder of Bizlaunch.ca, a training and coaching
organization that has had huge success in a span of four years. Andrew explained
that he started up locally and he gained momentum and expanded. He has only a
few sponsors for his business but those are the likes of Scotia Bank of Canada.
Achievements
An important indication in looking evaluating a mentor is have they have any
achievements in their field from awards, recognition. Have they reached levels of
business in a specific business. Key indicators of results in achievement.
Professional in Specific fields
This is the most important aspect of what to look for in a mentor. Depending in
what particular field you are looking for such as internet related, real estate or
coaching there are various events happening throughout the year. Enterprise
Toronto has monthly events on various topics and Bizlaunch.ca has various
seminars throughout the Ontario region and Canada.
Power Within and Soho.ca, and many more organizations are available. Simply
perform a search on Google to find many more.
Experience
As you progress and begin to meet more professionals you will learn more about
the types of industries and more about the experience that is available in those
particular fields. Many of the speakers that I heard at Enterprise Toronto have had
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great success in the field of coaching, running their own business, consulting
and/or working with other key leaders in different industries.
Recently I heard Vernon Vatour on Mastery of Sales at Enterprises Toronto and at
one point he mentioned Michael Gerber who wrote the book E-Myth, at which point
I said “that everyone should read it” literally forty heads turned my way with utter
amazement. Vernon without missing a beat walked over and shook my hand and
walked backed and continued his presentation. I was very surprised that nobody
else had heard of Michael Gerber (who I heard speak a few years ago) who has
written a tremendous book on three facets of a successful entrepreneur (manager,
technician and entrepreneur). I have had similar situations happen at other events.
The reason being is that I was plugged in and reading great books and listening to
awesome speakers.
Business Owners
From real estate to speaking and writing there are various types of business
owners you can learn from. As I went networking through the years, I have
collected thousands of business cards from various business owners. Just
recently, I went through my database to re-connect with a few due the fact that I
have done some writing, speaking and been published. This was a good
opportunity to share this great news and see what projects they had currently been
working on.
Summary
The key ingredient to remember is that you are building relationships with many
different people. You will be learning aspects of various business is and at the time
it may not seem relevant, but keep the business card and contact. Down the road
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you may have started a mentor-mentee relationship that you may have not known
you needed at the time.
Why do have a Mentor?
There are six reasons to have mentor are listed below.
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Accountability
In the book called The Secret there is a tremendous illustration of this. It was a
story of homosexual male who wanted to be comedian, the challenge he had was
that he was accosted either on the street or at work which made him frustrated and
miserable. His coach at the time had been communicating verbally but also via
email. The coach pointed how negative he was on his emails and recommended
he alter his attitude towards the situation. Within the next few weeks the most
miraculous thing happened. He began to listen to CD’s, read great books, and
through encouragement of his coach he stopped being accosted and people at
work either left or changed jobs. At last he was a successful comedian! The story
illustrates that everyone has challenges and it’s what you do about them that
changes the outcome.
Listen to your words
In the book Mentor’s Mentor by Corey Olynik, he states that a mentor listens to
your words, understands where you are, and convey that it’s only a state mind and
you have to bring brightness to the future you want to create.
You may unconsciously be saying the words but not be aware that not only you are
saying them for your mentor to hear that also you are hearing them yourself. Self-
talk is mentioned by every great leader as the most destructive way to limit
ourselves of our dreams and goals is the words that we say everyday coming out
of our mouths.
Constructive Critism
Your mentor has many years of experience and knowledge and the simplest ways
to convey anything is through stories.
The solution to life challenges through their success is how the next three can be
explained.
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Walked the Journey before you
You can learn from their journey since you may be on a similar path. Learning their
experience and lesson will make yours seem a little easier or perhaps
understanding it is a journey of small steps moving forward.
Experience challenges you are going through and will encounter next
My favorite example my mentor, Casey, uses is “they have already crossed the
mine field, you’re just trying to avoid the mines.” The mines signify various
challenges you may be having along the journey of success and learning to avoid
the mines will help you reach you goal in one piece.
Challenge you to reach to the next level
A couple of years ago I heard T. Harv Ecker, a famous speaker and author of the
book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” speak. He has given a simple example that if
you rated your problem on a scale from 1 to 10, (one being minor to ten being
major) and below you had another graph on from one to ten in solving the problem.
Would that be easier to overcome your challenge? Perhaps learning to do
something about it? He said something like, “Just frikking do it!”. I guess he was
being polite. There were thousands of people in that room and I remember saying,
“Well everyone has different issues and we have business ethics in mind, so why
not?”
Problem Solution
10 10
9 (9)
8 8
7 7
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6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
(2) 2
1 1
Analysis of Quote from the Mentor’s Mentor
Corey Olynik so eloquently says in his book “a mentor who holds up a mirror for his
protégé helps him to see who he is: see his possibilities, his gifts, and his
greatness. A mentor focuses on strength and not weakness. A mentor identifies
potential and creates momentum. A mentor puts aside his own agenda and his
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protégé expresses his own unique talents. A mentor accepts his protégé for who
he is now and sees the potential of who he can be”.
This is such a powerful paragraph that it requires explaining and examining.
“Sees his possibilities, his gift, his greatness”
As we go through our entrepreneurial journey, our mentor helps explore the
possibilities that are within us. encourages our gifts, which may be explored.
Speaking or working with our team, greatness is how we explore the world around
us and project ourselves to others as evolving servant leaders.
“focus on strengths”
We all have positive traits that we use in our daily lives. We walk this earth from
sunset to sundown dealing with many people in our journey. Some are friends for
the short-term while others are lifetime partners, associates and mates. When we
use our strengths for being a good listener and speaking to friends in a social
gathering, we are exchanging our strengths and evolving to become better every
day.
“identifies potential and creates momentum”
When our mentor is listening he is assisting us in evaluating and pinpointing our
natural abilities and shows us, through example, how to generate necessary
movement forward.
Howie Mandell a comedian and actor used to get in trouble all the time for talking
out of turn and waving his arms in school. Now he does the same thing in his adult
life and makes thousands of dollars doing it.
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“express his own unique talents”
Unique talents are explained as Unique Ability by Dan Sullivan, Catherine Nomura,
Julia Waller and Shannon Waller explains in depth how we can evaluate and
decipher our own abilities which have evolved through the years and become part
of us. We need to be consciously-competent that we are using them to our best
abilities. This book goes through those insights in depth.
“who is now and potential who he can be”
Frank Freather, well known futurist has explained,” the present is fleeting a
nanosecond” and goes on to say that “only the future is manageable”. A mentor
wants learn who you are now but also the goal to get you to strive and grow to who
you are going to be.
In exploring this paragraph in detail I hope you have understood that having a
mentor along the path increase your success will make the journey richer and
increase your ability to explore yourself in ways that will make you a better
individual and more succesfull in business and life.
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Business, Life & Success
Mentors will be required in all stages of your journey as an entrepreneur. All the
speakers I have heard, the books I read, and the audio that I have listened to all
mention in some way that mentorship is esscential for in business, life and
success.
Business
In doesn’t matter what level business you are at either starting out or a seasoned
veteran, a mentor can assist and direct your business to new levels. Economic and
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social trends affect business and are the key to fit your business to your customer’s
needs.
Recently, a coach I heard mentioned that there were thousands of coaches who
had different experiences. Either a life, entrepreneurial, or success coaches had
various types of specific knowledge which they had created a particular business
around. All the coaches were looking for potential clients and they all found them
due to their expertise, even though they are in the same field.
Life
As we grow and pass through the different age brackets we are guided by different
people who may not be called a “coach” per se at the time. They are called mom,
dad, teachers, friends, and social circle. They begin to affect and shape our outlook
on life. The choices we make are where the journey will begin to take shape. As we
continue to educate and learn we begin to make clearer choices as to where we
want to be and who we want to become.
As mentioned earlier reading biographies about successful people will give you a
better focus on the future. Futurist Frank Feather says it best, “only the future is
manageable”.
Success
A great quote that I have heard that is attributed to many is “success leaves clues”.
It is a short statement but has a powerful meaning. During the past few years I
have read many thin books that were full of great quotes, ideas, and suggestions
that were easy to do and made a significant impact in my current and future
success. When reading books it is important to highlight, underline or bend the
pages.
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When hearing a presentation make sure you take notes and review them
periodically, this is great way to remind yourself of the stage you were at during
the time, and how perhaps you have grown since then.
Books
The Mentor’s Mentor by Cory Olynk
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Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
How to Coach a Fish by Peudan & Herzog
How can I get myself to do what I need to do by Terry Gogna
Search for Excellence by Tom Peter and Nancy Austin
Conclusion
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My mentor always says that in business, life and success you will require different
types of people throughout these stages. You have just read what to look for in a
mentor and why should you have one.
Take the time to go through your contacts and business cards and take the time to
meet you future mentor for a coffee and find them at the event in your area or find
a virtual mentor.
Taking the first step in your journey as an entrepreneur is the exciting moment
which will lead to many doors opening for you in the future days and years to
come.
About Author
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Jim Pagiamtzis is owner and founder of Get Connected Make Wealth Happen! He
works with consultants, entrepreneurs and corporate professionals on effective
communication.
He has written articles for Centennial College, Toronto Public Library and
Metroactive.org (blog),
He has appeared on That.Channel.com with Hugh Reilly on the Liquid Lunch
Show.
He can be reached [email protected] Check out
www.getconnectedmakewealthhappen.com, www.jimpagiamtzis.blogspot.com
Jim Pagiamtzis is available for speaking engagements and writing opportunities at
416-894-7859
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