Enduring Heritage: Mentoring to Nurture the Next Generation

By Romeo P. Stockett

Mentoring ensures heritage, tradition, and good conduct, which is why its become a codified form of a structured relationship.

Romeo P. Stockett, PhD, who was named Mentor of the Year for 2009 by the 100 Black Men of America, explores how mentoring has assisted and guided us through various events, circumstances, and tough times over the years. As someone who has directed military and civilian organizations, held positions in training and education, and is active in numerous mentoring practices, he knows the value of mentoring.

In this handbook, youll learn how to
build a mentoring toolkit so you can help others;
mentor for specific purposes and to varied groups; and
differentiate between personal and professional mentoring.

As the roles of parents, coaches, teachers, and professional superiors change, it has never been more necessary for mentors to be active. Youths spend more time in front of electronic screens and with their peers than their family and loved ones, while young professionals arent getting the on-the-job guidance they need.

Take the advice of someone who has devoted his professional and personal life to helping others, and you can learn how to pass your knowledge and skills to those who need it the most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466938335

Romeo P. Stockett

Romeo P. Stockett, PhD, has been a mentor to hundreds of men, women, students, youths, and people of all ages and backgrounds. He is a retired US Air Force Officer, University Associate Professor, and Public Health professional. Originally from Washington, DC, Dr. Stockett spent thirty years in the Air Force before retiring to reside in Georgia.

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Copyright 2013 Romeo P. Stockett, PhD.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3832-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3833-5 (e)

Trafford rev. 07/19/2013

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CONTENTS

1.   Introduction: Enduring Heritage

2.   The Serious Need For and the Business of Mentoring

3.   Mentoring Can Take on Many Forms

4.   Fundamental Characteristics Needed for Mentoring

5.   Mentoring For a Specific Purpose

6.   Building a Mentoring Toolkit

7.   Mini-Mentoring

8.   Conclusion

9.   Mentoring Resources

To Rochelle and my eight mentoring-children and their spouses, who constantly affirm the importance of caring and

giving back by mentoring.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’—Martin Luther King, Jr.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction: Enduring Heritage

M entoring has always been the method of insuring that heritage, tradition and certain conduct is sustained. There are a number of reasons why the practice of mentoring has become codified in the form of a structured relationship. We have always had persons in our lives that have assisted and guided us through events, circumstances and various difficult periods in our lives. Many of these persons stay with us throughout our lives. Some come and go in an instant, depending on the issues or the times. Others come in and out of our lives at intervals. Consider the relationship of parents to an adult child. The roles change from parent to a mentor-like relationship, because after children have grown and gone out into the world they still look to parents in a mentoring fashion for guidance with their business, personal and professional decisions. There is always the parent-child interest and concern for all matters but the essence of the relationship changes when the parent provides guidance in the mentoring fashion. That is when a parent and child meet again on a different level. When parents mentor, their guidance is more objective and matter of fact, and less parent to child.

Unfortunately, in recent times, we have seen such a drastic erosion of the family structure and consequently erosion of the roles and responsibilities of family members. It is as if the core, the very nucleus of the concept of the traditional family as been disrupted. This change or disruption has left a void in the guidance and direction of the lives of young adults and children in families. Many parents are perplexed about the methods to provide guidance, discipline and teaching core values to their children because they have not had such direction themselves. In this environment, the dependency on external assistance has become vital to our youths’ personal development, their educational advancement, in their interpersonal relationships and other life skills. Consequently, there has evolved the increased need for personal and