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Rating: 
Summary: Mentors Must Be Choosy
Review: I have benefitted greatly from much of Sinetar's work, but this book takes too glib an approach to the mentoring of those working for corporations and organizations, some of which, no matter how excellent their business technique, are responsible for great harm to our society. Sinetar needs to note this and make some judgments about authentic business practice for the common good and that which is predatory, no matter how "enlightened." The mentoring process itself should be rigorously self-critical in a way which opens the door for individuals to confront their own role in the empowerment of businesses and organizations, for good or for ill. In this way the social transformation now needed may be accelerated rather than hindered by businesses, organizations, and those who work for them. I'm not hearing that in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Blew me away! Perfect for the road
Review: I wasn't expecting much from this tape. The book hadn't impressed me very much and I was thinking, "same old..."
However, as I listened I realized that Sinetar really has uncovered new ways to view mentoring. She distinguishes mentoring spirit from mentors in a unique, compelling way. Think of light flowing through a pane of glass. We care about the light -- not the glass. Similarly, the mentor is only a transmitter. What we want is the spirit transmitted by the mentor.From this perspective, any person, group or even physical object can be a mentor - anything that embodies a spirit that offers us insight, understanding or support. John Muir, for instance, chose nature as a mentor to escape a horrendous family situation. And she never met the artist Ben Shahn, but she learned from his artwork. I can relate: I learned from Cynthia Cooper's book She's Got Game (which I also reviewed) -- and I've never held a basketball. Most important, our own silence helps us grow and any meditation, quiet time or sabbatical can enrich us the way a mentor might. There are many other gems on this tape and I plan to listen again...and again. Perhaps most interesting is the glimpse we get into Sinetar's own life and business. We learn that she regularly takes sabbaticals lasting several months -- and once a week she won't work at all. She no longer attends corporate dinners in the evening, although it's normally considered part of the consultant's job. Sinetar recognizes that people have to be careful as they operate within an organization, and I think she underestimates the dfificulty of carving out space in a structured hierarchy. However, I have met folks who swim with ease in the corporate sea, and those will probably resonate even more, as Sinetar gracefully combines spirituality, personal growth and business systems. I was reminded of Carolyn Myss: Despite widely divergent styles and content, both authors create and integrate.
Sinretar is far more accessible than Myss and her spiritual challenge is more of a gentle hill than an icy mountain. But don't expect Sinetar to offer a cake walk. One of the best parts of the book compares Olympic level goals with more mundane, amateur achievements, and she cites Neil Postman's wonderful book about our entertainment culture.
We want everything to be like television: no effort, no preparation and pleasantly entertaining, she says. As a former college professor, I have to agree: I've heard a college senior say, "I like this text because it has a lot of pictures." Heading for a vacation trip? Pack this one in the car and prepare to come back refreshed and, quite possibly, changed.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I wasn't expecting much from this tape. The book hadn't impressed me very much and I was thinking, "same old..."
However, as I listened I realized that Sinetar really has uncovered new ways to view mentoring. She distinguishes mentoring spirit from mentors in a unique, compelling way. Think of light flowing through a pane of glass. We care about the light -- not the glass. Similarly, the mentor is only a transmitter. What we want is the spirit transmitted by the mentor. From this perspective, any person, group or even physical object can be a mentor - anything that embodies a spirit that offers us insight, understanding or support. John Muir, for instance, chose nature as a mentor to escape a horrendous family situation. And she never met the artist Ben Shahn, but she learned from his artwork. I can relate: I learned from Cynthia Cooper's book She's Got Game (which I also reviewed) -- and I've never held a basketball. Most important, our own silence helps us grow and any meditation, quiet time or sabbatical can enrich us the way a mentor might. There are many other gems on this tape and I plan to listen again...and again. Perhaps most interesting is the glimpse we get into Sinetar's own life and business. We learn that she regularly takes sabbaticals lasting several months -- and once a week she won't work at all. She no longer attends corporate dinners in the evening, although it's normally considered part of the consultant's job. Sinetar recognizes that people have to be careful as they operate within an organization, and I think she underestimates the dfificulty of carving out space in a structured hierarchy. However, I have met folks who swim with ease in the corporate sea, and those will probably resonate even more, as Sinetar gracefully combines spirituality, personal growth and business systems. I was reminded of Carolyn Myss: Despite widely divergent styles and content, both authors create and integrate.
Sinretar is far more accessible than Myss and her spiritual challenge is more of a gentle hill than an icy mountain. But don't expect Sinetar to offer a cake walk. One of the best parts of the book compares Olympic level goals with more mundane, amateur achievements, and she cites Neil Postman's wonderful book about our entertainment culture.
We want everything to be like television: no effort, no preparation and pleasantly entertaining, she says. As a former college professor, I have to agree: I've heard a college senior say, "I like this text because it has a lot of pictures." Heading for a vacation trip? Pack this one in the car and prepare to come back refreshed and, quite possibly, changed.
Rating:
Summary: Not all that accessible a concept
Review: Marsha Sinetar has written an instructive book on mentoring. She states that the mentors spirit is all around us. She finds it in films, fables, art, music, poetry, or whatever ideas and images move us toward the integrity of the heart. This is what society needs. We all need to become a mentor to someone in all aspects of our daily lives. At the beginning of each of the 12 lessons there is a quote that really informed me on what qualities make up a good mentor. One that caught my attention was the one at the beginning of the 6th Lesson: "Authentic dialogue promotes mature self-governing work teams who walk the talk." How true this is in today's work force. As a mentor myself in the school system her bits of wisdom can help anyone who is in charge of helping a new teacher cope and adjust to the challenging job of teaching our youth. The book is written in a fashion that will not be a threat to a mentor. Not only can one apply it to the school setting but also to the corporate world. Business people who are responsible in helping an organization accomplish its goals will find this book a godsend. Even though this book uses biblical quotes I found these to be just as helpful as her own life experiences. A true mentor draws from all sources. I found this book translates well to educators, people in business, or those who are looking to improve their interpersonal relationships. Her ideas about mentoring can make communication clearer and leaders can emerge.
Rating: 
Summary: A different definition of mentoring
Review: Mentoring is now a new concept that becomes increasingly popular in companies, government agencies, schools and volunteering organizations. Sietar unfolds a way to use our inborn "spiritual intelligence" to see the world and everything in it as a potential mentor - not only are humans beings our mentors, but books, articles, songs, nature and silence as well. Mentors are the artists of encouragement. A must have book for spiritual individuals. By Thei Zervaki,
author of Globalize, Localize, Translate
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