Dialogue With a Mentor


Alan Schonberg, the founder of Management Recruiters International (MRI), expanded his company to 1,100 offices in 23 countries around the world and has mentored hundreds of people along the way. In the following interview, he shares his thoughts on mentoring:

BARRY FARBER:

How did you first become a mentor?

ALAN SCHONBERG:

As I progressed through life and was fortunate enough to achieve some success in my business, I found that a number of younger people would seek me out and want to have me as their mentor. This appealed not only to my ego, but also to my desire to make this a better world. It was something I found I enjoyed, and I enjoy to this day. As a result, I probably have a stable of about 10 'mentees' at any given time. Some come and go, others are on an ongoing basis.

BF:

When you are mentoring people, do you learn something yourself?

AS:

Anytime you do something in life to help somebody, anytime you participate in an endeavor that is beneficial to someone else, you learn just as much, if not more, as they do. There's something to be learned from everything that happens to you.

BF:

Some people say they are afraid to ask a successful person to be their mentor. They think, "He won't have time for me." What do you say to that?

AS:

I say that fear keeps people away from doing many things. Get rid of that fear. You're not going to die from asking; it's not going to be a catastrophe in your life. So what if you strike out? So you keep trying.

BF:

Have you ever turned anyone down who wanted you to be his or her mentor?

AS:

I'm always willing to have an initial meeting with someone. Usually it's a lunch meeting. For some people, that's the only time we meet. Others I see for a short while, still others for an extended period of time. It depends on what they do after our first meeting. How do they then go about putting their life together, changing it, or in some way attempt to benefit themselves? A lot of people just expect things to happen to them or for them. And of course, those things don't happen. If you don't change your behavior, your life isn't going to change.

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.

—Chinese proverb




Diamond Power. Gems of Wisdom From America's Greatest Marketer
Diamond Power: Gems of Wisdom from Americas Greatest Marketer
ISBN: 1564146987
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 207
Authors: Barry Farber

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