there are nuggets in the article that apply to everyone. I posted portions of the article previously. (Check the archives) Here is some more of the article along with some of my comments:
"You Need At Least 3 Professional Mentors – The most guaranteed path to success is to emulate those who’ve achieved what you seek. You should always have at least 3 people you call mentors who are where you want to be. Their free guidance and counsel will be the most priceless gift you can receive.”
Many famous people had mentors. I wrote about mentors in my e-book, Leadership for New Manages: Book Two. It is available at http://smashwords.com//b/300090. Here is what I wrote:
Mentorship is the voluntary developmental relationship that exists between a person of greater experience and a person of lesser experience. It is characterized by mutual trust and respect. Mentoring takes place when the mentor provides a less experienced leader with advice and counsel over time to help with professional and personal growth. Mentoring is a voluntary relationship that extends beyond the scope of reporting relationships. Effective mentorship will positively affect personal and professional development. Assessment, feedback, and guidance are critical within the mentoring relationship. The mentee should value feedback to grow and develop.
The current news about teenagers committing crimes and getting into trouble has prompted some discussion on whether to hold the parents responsible as well. I don’t think there has been enough discussion on the subject. Parents certainly have a responsibility to raise their children. It has become difficult for families where both parents must work or where one parent is absent.
I was reminded of an incident that happened while I was in the service in Germany. I lived on an American Army base. One day, some teenagers vandalized the elementary school and the MPs caught them. The post commander was a hard-nosed guy who believed that the parents are responsible for the actions of their kids. He ordered that the fathers pull guard duty at the school for one week during the period that it was closed. After that, there was no vandalism for a long time.
Some people say that the law does not allow punishment of the parents, but I disagree. I believe in plea-bargaining the judge may impose certain requirements on the parents. There are some laws that certainly apply in extreme cases where parents contribute to the delinquency of a minor, serve alcohol, or allow kids to use drugs. When the teenagers use a parent’s car to commit a crime, perhaps the court can suspend the parent’s license. I am not recommending that we punish the parents so much as we make kids aware that their actions affect the entire family. It would also tell parents to pay attention to their kids.