Mentoring and the tangible
When Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he realized he needed help while he was away. So, Odysseus asked his friend, Mentor, to be in charge of his son, Telemachus, and his palace until he returned.
While the meaning has changed a bit, we still seek and offer mentoring.
What’s the best platform for such a trusted relationship? According to my friend, Nick Gargala, Ed.D., the best results occur when the mentoring happens face to face. In interviews for his recent dissertation, Nick found that over the phone is a distant second, and e-mail mentoring is the weakest.
Where trust is important to a relationship (e.g., in business development), the more personal the better.
