Connecting- The Mentoring Relationships You Need To Succeed In Life Description:

Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need To Succeed In Life review:
3 stars (Practical Yet Partial) - This book is based on a simple finding: "Research on mid-career, contemporary leaders led to [the] conclusion - few leaders finish well". Further, in the case where leaders did finish well, "their relationship to another person significantly enhanced their development". Thus the stage is set for the subject of mentoring, which the authors describe as (the concise definition):



a relational experience

through which one person empowers another

by sharing God-given resources.



Stanley and Clinton are well respected authorities in the field of leadership development, and this book represents a popular and "lightweight" version of far larger tomes, so providing easy access to their ideas. The authors focus mainly on the types of mentor who may enrich our lives, and how. The book explores nine common mentor types, and "ten commandments" required for successful mentoring. Two further types of mentoring receive special attention, namely The Constellation Model (a relational network of upward, downward, and lateral mentoring), and Peer Co-Mentoring (mutual mentoring with a close friend).



The emphasis on the "relational experience" of mentoring is arguably both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of the book. On the one hand, it offers one - in the words of the publishers - "access to the wisdom, experience, vision, and direction of those who have gone before". On the other hand, there is a great deal of emphasis on the values, skills, etc. which are transferred to the one being mentored, yet limited appreciation of how mentoring might point to God. The authors hardly touch on the type of mentoring which focuses on the "encounter with the Holy", and the sovereign grace required for a Christian leader to succeed and survive. In short, it tends towards a "Latin" theology of mentoring.



The book has a strong foundation in research and experience, and for this alone it is well worth a look. It is characterised by simplicity and ease of reading, and makes excellent use of diagrams, tables, and real-life illustrations to present the material in a readable and approachable way. On the whole, it gives one a good grounding in some of the more practical aspects of mentoring and being mentored, and may encourage some readers to advance to the more "serious" works of Stanley and Clinton.
4 stars (Connecting is difficult, Here is a better way) - Mentoring is so important in the world today. Having a mentor, as this book details, helps people reach the next level in their careers. Mentoring is truly invaluable. A tough thing though is finding a mentor. Where does one look? Well now there is a place to both find a mentor and also be a mentor to share your knowledge. The site is Advance Mentoring, www.Advancementoring.com You can search to find a mentor in any industry, or to be a mentor, or even both. Now the job of finding a mentor has gotten much easier. The site offers over a tremendous number of members from over 40 countries, so you are sure to find a mentor or a mentee. Good luck. http://www.advancementoring.com Noah Cirincione, CEOAdvance Mentoringhttp://www.advancementoring.com
4 stars (Attention all Church Leaders: Especially Pastors) - This book is for you! We never grow to the point that we can walk totally alone. All of us need godly mentors in life. The problem is that as we grow, godly mentors become harder to find. This book addresses the problem.We all have a responsibility to those coming after us. A first grader who teaches his or her younger sibling to spell a simple word has already stepped into the realm of mentoring. If we have this responsibility, we better learn to do it right. This book addresses that problem.