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Super Mentors: The Ordinary Person's Guide to Asking Extraordinary People for Help

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Modern mentorship is about opportunity, not advice. What you really want is someone to open a door for you, provide an introduction, or move your resume to the top of the pile. Eric Koester and Adam Saven give you a powerful new framework to make that a reality.

“Exhilarating and empowering… if you care about your success, you have to read Super Mentors.” – CEO Weekly

To get where you want to go in life — to be successful — you’ve undoubtedly been told to “find a mentor.” To search for a wise sage who will hold your hand throughout life, offering advice. The Yoda to your Luke, Dumbledore to your Harry, Glinda to your Dorothy.

Sorry to say…but most of us will never find that one special voice of advice. That, however, doesn’t mean you’re out of luck.

Truth is, there are powerful people out there — many in fact — extraordinary leaders in their fields who can move the needle for you. With Super Mentors, you'll be handed the Ordinary Person's Guide to Asking Extraordinary People for Help. In this book, you’ll learn:

- How to Aim High, Ask Small, and Do It Again with strategy and intention
- Why the Four Laws of Super Mentors regulate the world of modern mentorships
- The surprising ways Jack Dorsey, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and others leveraged Super Mentors to become who they are today

“An incredibly practical and useful guide. Eric Koester and Adam Saven distill the most fundamental information about mentorship, so you can build the relationships to help you achieve more success, happiness, and wealth.” - New York Weekly

This book outlines how anyone, even “ordinary” people, without powerful friends or well-connected circles, can build a team of extraordinary Super Mentors around them. It’s your guide to getting people in your every corner, helping you get exactly where you’ve always dreamed of going.

305 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2022

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About the author

Eric Koester

9 books257 followers
I'm an author who decided to turn a bedtime story with my kids into a novel, following in the footsteps of JRR Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and Rick Riorden (Percy Jackson). Truly the most fun writing project I've ever had.

Our pandemic bedtime story -- The Pennymores & the Curse of the Invisible Quill -- has become a book series reviewed by New York Weekly, Los Angeles Weekly, Latin Post, and more with the first title out in April 2022 (and hopefully more in the series to follow).

You'll find me writing nonfiction books (fourth out in Summer 2022), teaching writing at Georgetown and in a writing community, and trying to keep up with a houseful of three daughters.

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Helena (helenareadsxx).
213 reviews224 followers
October 30, 2022
Thank you to LoveBooksTours and Eric Koester for this ARC. I found it inspirational and motivating. I found that some points were repeated a bit too much and that too many case studies did cause me to lose interest a bit throughout, but I am glad I read this!
Profile Image for Natalie  all_books_great_and_small .
2,593 reviews121 followers
October 19, 2022
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Lovebookstours.

Super Mentors is a beneficial book for anyone wanting to get ahead in life especially from a business perspective but in personal growth too. The book offers fantastic advice blended up with research, data and insights. The book was easy to follow and flowed easily and steadily and didn't leave me overly overwhelmed. I now have a much better understanding of what a mentor actually is and will definitely open my eyes to spot future potentials as Mentors in life going forward. I wish I had had a book like this much earlier in life that's for sure!
I'm so glad to have a physical copy as I will definitely be revisiting this book again and again in the future.
Profile Image for P.B. Flower.
Author 6 books89 followers
April 13, 2023
Well researched and straight forward

Another great self-help book that promises in helping you in achieving your goals. Asking for help is gruesome enough for many people. But asking it from someone well placed is tough. This book is an excellent resource and is well researched. Delivery is upfront and easy to understand.

I feel energized and inspired already. Can't wait to put it in practical use.
Profile Image for Vicki (chaptersofvicki).
473 reviews14 followers
October 17, 2022
This book isn’t my typical kind of read, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But I always like to read different types of books and this one certainly appealed as I’m not the sort of person who usually asks for help.

It is set out clearly and easy to follow. If you are looking for help with mentors to help and guide you within the business industry this book would be a great asset to you.

I really like one of the strong points made in the book. ‘Aim high, ask small and do it again’. It certainly has stuck in my mind after reading.

It’s great to have this book to go back to and refer to certain points when you feel you need to.

Thank you to Love Book Tours and Eric Koester for having me on the tour and for my gifted copy of the book.
Profile Image for Tami.
371 reviews11 followers
October 10, 2022
I didn't know what to expect from this book when I first received it. Asking for help isn't my best quality. However, having read this book I'm now looking at other people in another light as to whether they can be a mentor to me or not. Before reading this book I had preconceived ideas about what a mentor was. This book has changed that showing me there are different ways a person can be a mentor to me and that I don't necessarily need one. I loved the statement behind this book "Aim High. Ask Small. Do It Again". That is what I'm taking out most from this book. Can be used in all areas of our lives without having the mentor as the final aim. If there are people that become mentors along the way, always a bonus.
Profile Image for Lara Smith.
4 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2022
Super Mentors was a fast-paced read, deftly weaving stories with punchy, practical takeaways. The framework is simple to follow, with detailed advice and guidance to execute. It brings the practicality of Atomic Habits to one of the keys of a successful career: help from others. If you've ever thought you were at a disadvantage because you didn't go to a prestigious school or work at a large, well-known company, this book is for you.

"Find a mentor" is a phrase that is drilled into our heads from high school throughout our lives and careers. I love how the authors go right at that idea in the very first chapter.

I was fortunate to be an early reader of the book, and seeing how the authors used real-world stories and blended it with data and research is amazing. Cannot recommend this book enough. This is the book EVERY ambitious person needs to read.
Profile Image for Clair's Books.
316 reviews12 followers
October 27, 2022
The opportunity to read this book came at a perfect time for me and I didn’t quite know how much I needed it, until I started reading it.

The first few chapters introduced the concept of super mentors. Then, it was time to work out how to apply this information to my situation. A self-awareness quiz showed I have room to grow on my journey to get a sense of what I want to do in life. What’s the answer? I need a project. Something meaningful, fun and exciting. Then it’s about creating meaningful relationships and collaboration. It’s about being open minded, following up and showing commitment.

I remember a corporate mentor saying to me “it sounds like you know what you want. What is it that you’re hoping to get from me?”. And I never worked out the answer to that question until now! I didn’t need advice, I needed an opportunity. “You don’t need a mentor. You do need an opportunity”.

The content of this book felt so logical, yet I noticed how many of the simple things I wasn’t doing enough of! One that I really want to take away is getting better at expressing gratitude. I know I feel it, I know I say it but I know I don’t express it clearly and frequent enough. I have already started to actively change this behaviour.

The language used throughout was very accessible, no dictionary required! All the explanations were demonstrated through real life examples. I am a visual learner and I loved the simple but effective graphics. I usually draw my own, but I didn’t even need to do one! I also loved this was in paperback (those who know me know my hardback dilemmas!).

I have already discussed the basics of this book with 3 people close to me, both to explain myself in terms of my personal development but also to see how it applies to their lives. One of them has already started implementing a few bits I’ve shared!

I would recommend this book to everyone. In particular, if you’re ambitious and looking for opportunities i.e early in career, stuck in career, wanting a new challenge, a graduate.
Profile Image for Lanysha Adams.
Author 1 book11 followers
December 26, 2022
Super Mentors outlines how anyone without influential friends or well-connected circles can build a team of extraordinary Super Mentors around them. The four laws and details on how to use them are easy to follow and easy to apply. The book provides a refreshing take on networking, lots of examples which makes it easier to understand. The emphasis on peer mentorship was refreshing to read.

The four laws are:
1. Law of the Right Ask
2. Law of the Right People
3. Law of Right Start
4. Law of Right Time

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to build their network of mentors quickly. There are a lot of resources out there on how to be mentored, but not many on how to mentor others. This book fills the gap and provides the reader with an effective blueprint on how to grow your network of mentors in a very short time period.

"Once a mentor, always a mentor" was one of my favorite quotes from the book.
Profile Image for Tiffeny Brown.
145 reviews5 followers
October 22, 2022
Before I started reading I wasn't sure this would be my cup of tea, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. I often struggle to get through non-fiction books, but I found this one pretty easy. If you don't want to read it all in one sitting you can just dip in and out as and when you need.

This book is well written and gives lots of useful insights into mentoring which I think many people will find helpful. I particularly enjoyed the inspiring quotes and celebrity stories. The worksheet is fab too!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that struggles to ask for help, has a project they would like to complete or would just like to learn more about mentorship in general 🙂
Profile Image for MeMe.
281 reviews32 followers
October 12, 2022
In my conversations with people, I often confess that I did not have a mentor. After some reflection, I realized I actually had some incredible mentors... we just didn't recognize them as mentors. I found that to be one of the most interesting aspects of this book. Previously, I thought mentoring was a formal process, but everything that actually worked was mentoring. The line "You don't need a mentor" really struck a chord with me because it is so true. You need people who can open doors for you. Send your resume to the right person. No matter whether they are formal mentors, they are still a valuable resource. Unless you take action, they will not help you. Establish how to make them help you (because the only way they can help you is if you take action yourself). Definitely one book I'll refer to again in the future. I would highly recommend this to all, especially the youth.
Profile Image for The Difference Engine.
112 reviews4 followers
November 1, 2022
🇬🇧📚 Book Tour Review 📚🇬🇧

#️⃣ 2022 Tour Number: 64
#️⃣ 2022 Books Read: 95/30
🌟 Rating: 📓📙📘📗 📚(5/5⭐)
🔲 Book Title: Super Mentors: The Ordinary Person's Guide to Asking Extraordinary People for Help
🖋️ Author: Eric Koester @erickoester & Adam Saven 
🎭 Genre: Non-fiction
📖 Format: 📖
📢 Tour: @lovebookstours @lbt.crew
📅 Tour dates: 3rd - 31st October  2022
📅 Review date: 28th October 2022

#LBTCrew #lovebooktours
.
#bookstagram #bookblog #bookreview #ukbookblog #ukbookstagram #bookworm #readersofinstagram #booktour #lovebooks #lovereading #2022books #bookstoread #bookstoread #BookTourReview #ad #adpr #blogtour #TDEPReviews

💻📖🎧 Book format & quality 💻📖🎧
Paperback book, slightly may cover and thick pages. This book certainly feels good in the hand.

🌻SpLD comments (from a dyslexic)🌻
Normally I don't get along with bright white pages but this authors choice of font size & shape made it easy on the eye. The chapters are short with graphs or diagrams interdispersed with a change of font for chapters it headers which made this book easy on the eyes.

🎨 Artwork🎨
I can't explain why but I particularly like the pattern on the cover and the pallet choice.

✒️ Style✏️
This book is definately my type of book. I really enjoyed the authors style of taking the reader through with examples and diagrams. That'll be the scientist in me who enjoys reading research papers.

📈 Plot 📉
Super Mentors was the right book,at the right time, for me. Surrounded with so many highly educated and experienced people, I would like them all to be my mentor for different reasons. This book helped me focus and direct my energy and efforts in the right way. I particularly enjoyed how the authors offered deep dives in to the stages of mentorship. I enjoyed reading the research and case studies.

📖 Read more 📖
Absolutely yes!

🎙️ Favourite quote🎙️
"Once you move beyond the limiting belief you've outgrown the need for a mentor, peer mentorship becomes a remarkable superpower"

❓Question for the author❔
What's next, will you be righting more? I'm definately a fan.

🤓 Author Synopsis 🤓
Modern mentorship is about opportunity, not advice. What you really want is someone to open a door for you, provide an introduction, or move your resume to the top of the pile. Eric Koester and Adam Saven give you a powerful new framework to make that a reality.

"Exhilarating and empowering... if you care about your success, you have to read Super Mentors." - CEO Weekly

To get where you want to go in life - to be successful - you've undoubtedly been told to "find a mentor." To search for a wise sage who will hold your hand throughout life, offering advice. The Yoda to your Luke, Dumbledore to your Harry, Glinda to your Dorothy.

Sorry to say...but most of us will never find that one special voice of advice. That, however, doesn't mean you're out of luck.

Truth is, there are powerful people out there - many in fact - extraordinary leaders in their fields who can move the needle for you. With Super Mentors, you'll be handed the Ordinary Person's Guide to Asking Extraordinary People for Help. In this book, you'll learn:

How to Aim High, Ask Small, and Do It Again with strategy and intention

Why the Four Laws of Super Mentors regulate the world of modern mentorships

The surprising ways Jack Dorsey, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and others leveraged Super Mentors to become who they are today

"An incredibly practical and useful guide. Eric Koester and Adam Saven distill the most fundamental information about mentorship, so you can build the relationships to help you achieve more success, happiness, and wealth." - New York Weekly

This book outlines how anyone, even "ordinary" people, without powerful friends or well-connected circles, can build a team of extraordinary Super Mentors around them. It's your guide to getting people in your every corner, helping you get exactly where you've always dreamed of going.

🛒🛍️ Buy Links 🛒🛍️
https://amzn.to/3DfSYkZ
Profile Image for Scott Pearson.
711 reviews34 followers
October 1, 2022
As adults move from school into the workplace, learning from teachers in formal settings often shifts to learning from mentors in more informal settings. However, in this new environment, being a successful mentee is often more important than having a successful mentor. Being a successful mentee means growing in self-awareness and persistent towards finding out the right answers to your specific dilemmas. Learning to ask the right questions to the right people in the right ways at the right time is a true skill. Fortunately, this book seeks to coach us all on how we can learn better and gain more success in contemporary life.

Koester believes that a lot of people currently approach mentoring wrong. They look for the “perfect mentor” to guide them through all of life’s persistent questions. In his experience (and mine), that single person simply does not exist. Instead, current-day mentors tend to provide knowledge-based opportunities and connections that lead to success. Highly successful mentors (he calls them “super mentors,” though this term seems cheesy to me) are motivated by working with interesting people on interesting projects. Thus, the challenge is identifying these people and getting on their radar.

Koester teaches classes on business mentoring at Georgetown University and has gathered much of his framework on his interactions with students about to enter the business world. However, most of his exploration is in words, not numerical, as he analyzes success stories about how mentoring played a role in catapulting the mentee towards success. Through a private partnership, he collected his own qualitative data about highly effective mentoring relationships and shared his findings in this book. Unfortunately, he did not pursue the more difficult – and fruitful – task of finding quantitative data. (Qualitative data about mentoring is abundant in the literature, but statistical analyses on this topic are in short supply.)

This book is fairly focused on mentoring in the mainstream business world. I would have liked to have read more about mentoring among historically marginalized groups, like women, underrepresented minority groups, and LGBTQ+ communities. Explorations of non-business environments – like academe, K-12 education, and professions like nursing, law, or medicine – would have increased this book’s robustness. Many of the most interesting aspects of mentoring, a rich and complex topic, dwell in these niches.

Certainly, this book will likely draw an audience among those in the business world who seek mentoring and career development. The concepts need expansion, however, and I hope Koester is able to pursue further probing into these areas to share with us more insights. Although many initial insights are shared, this book is specifically geared towards mainstream business environments. Further research down the road could more broadly describe what successful mentoring relationships look like in the early twenty-first century.
Profile Image for Jim Razinha.
1,401 reviews79 followers
February 8, 2023
I received an advance review copy of this from the publisher/author through BookSirens. Having been mentored and having mentored, I looked to add to the toolbox.

I don't think that this book is for everyone. I didn't find the stories relatable and I'm not sure how big an audience would. The author's thesis is simple: "Aim High, Ask Small, and Do It Again", and he backs it up with some good material. But venture capitalism/startups didn't grab me, and despite attempts to connect with the subtitled "ordinary person", the celebrity stories just felt fanciful. Now, I know that the purpose of the many stories is not only to illustrate but to anchor the different points and I also know that "ordinary" rarely resonates... so is there a different way to present this? Probably not. When I am not engaged, I will still mine books like these for nuggets of value - to me, and what I might think would be valuable to others. I encourage everyone to do that - sometimes a book is the rare knock-it-out-of-the-park cover-to-cover enlightenment; and sometimes it is the equally as rare don't-put-it-down-throw-it-forecefully kind (this is far from that!). Most times it has a few good points regardless.

Koester describes his defined different types of mentors, the different approaches, punctuated with illustrative examples (almost all of which seem out of reach, but that's the point...they aren't supposed to.) Find the right people, determine the right question to ask, at the right time, and with some right idea of how to start. Koester's opening example was a young entrepreneur who learned quickly: “I stopped looking for mentors,” he said, “and I began to get help from many people who became mentors.” For the self-aware, willing to learn from all sources, this would not be news. Sometimes we don't realize until later that we were mentored (and sometimes the mentors won't admit/realize they were mentoring...maybe "just doing my job"). If you've been around enough, you'll know it when you see (read) it. And you can be a mentor. Perhaps even a "super mentor". I'm a fan of both paying back and paying forward. Read the book, sift the positives and decide for yourself.

A handful of selected outtakes (from those that I mined):

[on how to think of who you should reach} Ten years from now, in a best-case scenario, what would you love to do more of every day? Ask yourself that very question. What would you love to do more of?
{A different - and more valuable - spin on the "where do you see yourself?" question.}

[on businesses formalizing mentorship] Professional organizations and trade associations pair new members with mentors when they join. But in my study of uber-successful people, I asked them about how they met mentors. I can’t point to a single example of anyone meeting through a structured program. Then why is it so common? You’re probably wondering why all these organizations focus on mentorship? My theory is mentorship is good for business.
{I think absent anything else that a formal program still has value. The problem is most of the (formal) mentors I've been exposed to don't know how to mentor, and that diminishes the value.}

[an odd point} Mentor Fallacy: Successful people have a single mentor throughout their lives and careers. Super Mentor Reality: Successful people have many mentors, some of whom might be more impactful than others.
{I don’t know who thinks this. Most “successful people” change careers, or at least ladder through one where the old mentor isn’t … useful… anymore.{

Reality: Mentor is not a title. It’s an activity.
{Now, this is good.}

[advice on one way to connect] It’s called the five-minute favor, inspired Adam Grant’s insights about the power of simple acts of generosity in his 2017 TEDx Talk “Are You a Giver or a Taker?”: Identify five people you’d love to meet, people you think could be helpful to you if you had fifteen minutes with them. Pick your favorite social media platform, and connect with all five. Scroll through their posts from the past week, and identify two posts from each person that resonates with you. If you can’t find any, replace them with another person until you have five. Leave an insightful comment—something that thanks them for their post and offers your thoughtful response or reply.

[?] The word mentor has all these negative connotations while the actions of mentoring simultaneously have so many positive ones.
{I flagged this and am still thinking of whether or not I agree...tending toward disagree, with respect to the negative implications.}

[on a cliche] Of all the assets you can get from a mentor, advice is the easiest to provide and the least valuable to receive
{True enough.}

[advice on focusing on opportunities] Here are the three elements to conceptualizing the opportunities you want:
What would you do if you had fifteen minutes with _______?
I’m going to _____________________
so s/he can _____________________
then I will _____________________.

[advice on who to look for] Ask yourself these questions:
Who has done this already?
Who do I know working in that industry, company, or field?
Who already made this choice?
Who do I admire?
Who do I listen to or watch when I need to learn something important?
Who else has the person I admire worked with?
Who do I know already who has worked on something similar?
...
What you want to do is so hard. But figuring out who you admire and want to be is much easier
{More good points}

[on what not to ask] People often ask for the wrong things at the beginning stages of the relationship.
Can I pick your brain?
Will you be my mentor?
I’m trying to figure out my life. Can you help?
These questions are complex and potentially chaotic for the recipient. The questions require work to contemplate and effort to deconstruct. They can feel like a long-term commitment. They aren’t things we can easily say yes to, so the easy—and all too common—response is no.
{Have I seen this? yes. Did I do it? Yes (when I was quite young.) Good advice on how not to turn off an opportunity.}

[another ?]
The term “grit” was coined by Angela Duckworth, a psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals—the ability to persist in something you feel passionate about and endure challenges and obstacles that come your way.
{"Grit" has been around a long time before Duckworth. I'm not sure how she coined it.}

[on a point I make when I mentor] Collector [One of Koester's super mentor categories]. Certain people surround themselves with younger up-and-comers who they can learn from and share wisdom with.
{This is the only reference to mentors learning from mentees. My favorite opener (that I don't recall where I got it from) is: "So, what are we going to teach each other.}

[better than the aim/ask/do directive]
When they ask for advice, give them guidance.
When they ask for guidance, give them coaching.
And when they don’t know what they need, give them opportunities and access
{This is good guidance.}

I did flag two jumping off points for more reading: Katy Milkman's How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, and Carol Dweck's Mindset.

"The impact of these actions will compound over time—an effect that Einstein once called the Eighth Wonder of the World."
{Quote Investigator found no evidence supporting attribution. I'm always careful when it comes to quotes... especially from the well-knowns like Einstein or Jefferson.}
Profile Image for Sonja Charters.
1,657 reviews100 followers
October 21, 2022
What a powerful read for anyone wanting to get ahead in business in this modern age.

When I was growing up and looking for work, mentoring was not really something that was ever discussed with us. But I know that it's becoming ever more popular as an aid to getting ahead or standing out in the crowd.

Recently, mentors have been chosen to help and advise, putting a lot of time and effort into their mentee, to help them achieve their goals and push higher.

This book takes a look at a new style of mentor, the super-mentor, where you are not just looking for one person to advise you throughout your career - but multiple people who you can shape to help you gain the opportunities you need to reach your goals. Using the ideas, tips and framework offered in this book, you can learn to ask smaller and gain bigger rewards, putting yourself in control of your future.

I loved this idea - knowing your goals and asking smaller puts less onus on the mentor who is surely then more likely to help you out. Continually moving forward, changing your goals and mentors will help to drive you towards the ultimate in job satisfaction.

I feel that those looking for jobs in today's climate struggle with so many options but so few opportunities and this book will help to give them the tools to really direct their focus and help them to stand out in the crowd.

For me, reading this cover to cover, I found some parts a little repetitive, but I feel that it would be a great book to dip into over a period of time. There were some great examples and stories from inspirational people who shared their experience and highlighted tips that would be easy to revisit when needed.
Profile Image for Aria.
76 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2023
Last night, I spent half of this book with a friend's debut VTubing stream as BGM in the background. I know nothing about streaming, but I wanted to show up to support this friend, so there I was. As I went through this book while listening to my friend chatting, I read this: "if someone provides you advice, guidance, access, or opportunities, they are mentoring you."

The friend who was streaming last night, as it turns out, is a mentor of mine - a super mentor, in fact. Without giving too much away, we became twitter friends after I livetweeted an event she was in, and years after she invited me to work in her then-newly-opened digital reading site. In providing an opportunity she changed my life for the better, even though she'd protest if I called her my mentor. But knowing what I know now, it sure does get me to further appreciate all the helpful people around me - and all the helpful people I haven't met yet!

I will say this book has climbed up fast into my favorites list. Thanks so much for making such a daunting topic seem so much less intimidating, so much more human.

Originally posted on Instagram.
Profile Image for Sharon Rimmelzwaan.
1,306 reviews36 followers
October 29, 2022
This was a book I never thought I would take much on board from, then I started reading it. I was nodding in agreement by the second page (to myself may I add!). I don't have a career, but, the sage advice in within these pages will work with any type of work you do. Voluntary work, paid work, any. The mantra aim high, start small and always keep asking is a common sense approach that majority of people wouldn't even think off.
I personally liked how it shows anyone can get anywhere they want with the right tools. This book explains thoroughly how to get what you need and how to do it the right way.

Even if you sit here reading my review and think I don't need this book...let me tell you, it will help in some way or other in some part of your life. This is a book that surprised me from the start and was such an interesting read.
Thanks to Love Books Tours and the authors for my copy of the book.
8 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2022
On my first day of college I was told all about my school's "network" -- and I went through all these meet-ups and mentor matching, but never found a mentor. Fortunately, I met Professor Koester and he shared the book and his research, and it all clicked for me.

Find a project. Ask people you admire to be a part of the project. Those people often are willing to do much more and become mentors. It's brilliant, simple, and so non-obvious to most of us.

I didn't have a mentor and I felt bad about not having one. I read this book and instantly understood mentors differently. Now, I have lots of mentors... and quite frankly have seen the power in my own life. If you don't have a mentor and are a little 'burnt out' by all the talk of mentoring, give this book a read -- it'll completely change your perspective. Trust me.
Profile Image for Lara Chon.
4 reviews
July 4, 2022
Thank god for this book. A friend invited me to be a beta reader (he knew the author somehow.). I was a little skeptical as there are a lot of books that tell people about mentors. But this was totally different... so practical and so reassuring.

I realized I was thinking about mentoring backward -- you don't try to find a mentor. You find something interesting to work on and get people involved in it. Those people become your casual mentors, and some of them go on to be mentors that do much more. It was funny how this worked for me -- but I had a work project and asked a family friend to speak to them about it, and after that call he asked if I was looking for any freelance work... and literally got hired for a marketing project. So consider me sold on this!

Great book with a framework that really changes how you think.
Profile Image for Marie Batch.
4 reviews
July 4, 2022
I always tell people I never had a mentor. Now I realized I actually had some amazing mentors... just we never called them a mentor. That's what was so interesting about this book. I'd imagined mentoring was this formal thing, but all the stuff that actually did work, I never realized was mentoring and I needed to do more of it. I loved the line that says "You don't need a mentor." That is so so true... you need helpful people who open doors for you, get your resume to the right person, or give you a project to work on together. It doesn't matter if they are a formal mentor or not. You have to figure out how to get them to help you -- and stop waiting around (because they won't help you unless you help yourself).

I read a draft of the book before it came out, and I'm recommending all my friends read it.
Profile Image for Monika Pubst.
2 reviews
July 4, 2022
I loved the tagline: Aim Higher, Ask Smaller, and Do It Again. That sold me... there are lots of books about networking out there, but this is the first I'd seen that really made networking specific around building mentors who can open doors for your and give you opportunities.

I felt pretty constrained by a lot of the potential mentors in my life. Realizing I should be looking further out to people that actually tie to things I'm interested in, working on, and want to accomplish is key. I've already seen this change how I think about networking -- figure out WHY you want to talk to someone.

Some of this feels obvious -- because it is -- but it's really practical and different in how the authors share how to tackle the ideas. Anyone struggling with the idea of networking for jobs or careers should read it. Not your parent's networking book... promise.
Profile Image for Kate Blythe.
85 reviews10 followers
November 19, 2022
4.5/5⭐️
This book was an incredibly motivational read! I didn’t have any knowledge about mentorship before going into this and I found it to be really well explained.

I feel this book is a guide people will find value in referring back to whenever they feel stuck and as though their career isn’t moving forward. The author has obviously done a lot of research to write this and that shows in the writing. I found the examples of how certain celebrities have used super mentors really interesting as I felt like the method could be applied to anyone’s life.

The great thing about this book is how relevant it is to such a wide group of people. I think most people who want to aim high will gain transferable skills from this book.

Overall, this was a really interesting and informative read!
July 5, 2022
Rahul's story at the start of the book really resonated with me -- I'd been sending out tons of resumes, meeting for virtual coffees, and applying to jobs, but I suddenly saw how I kept getting advice... and no one really was helping me get a job. Don't get me started on my college career center who was worthless, maybe unhelpful even. But once I realized I had an organization I'm a part of that I could use to start inviting guest speakers to grow my own network and create relationships with people at companies. This is nothing like what you hear at career centers or job advice you read online. The first time I realized why mentors matter and how to get those who'll give you more than advice.
Profile Image for Angela Smith.
4 reviews
July 6, 2022
Not at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be one of those books about why we all need mentors, but the very first line says "You don't need a mentor." And that got me. It's so true. You need someone to get you an interview, to hire you, or to involve you in project or something. And it finally clicked that I don't need just one person to do that. I want as many as possible.

The authors write about "opportunity surface area" which made so much sense. It's about giving you more chances and possibilities. The book was very different than I thought it would be. I assumed it would be all about how to find a mentor, but really it was about how to build a network of helpful people. Lots and lots of takeaways, and even great templates and tools throughout.
Profile Image for Ashley.
55 reviews2 followers
October 28, 2022
This is definitely a book everyone should have 😊 I'm not always the best at asking for help, not just with any projects I may want to do but with life ingenral. I struggle with day to day stuff and don't always ask for help from family members. Recently I have been asking for a bit of help but not as much as I should.

A project I would love to complete is writing my first book. I have no idea where to start 🙈😂 and even though I'm in an author group on Facebook and I speak to a few authors on IG. I've never once asked for help, I think it's more anxiety wise that's stopping me. This book has definitely gave me alot to think about.

Definitely recommend especially for those who have something they would love to complete but isn't sure how to ask for help.
Profile Image for Elliot.
7 reviews
July 5, 2022
My aunt sent me a copy of the draft of the book before it was done (she knows the author). I've tried to get into startups for a while and didn't have much luck (I work in finance). The book says you need a project and since I'd always wanted to do a podcast I just did one. I basically asked a couple alumni who worked at startups for interviews for the podcast (which wasn't even a released podcast yet). And that was how I started. They were so interesting and when I told them I wanted to get into startups, they helped. It was funny that I never thought to do something like that. This book is so helpful for anyone trying to make a change. It's not that far from where you are.
Profile Image for Manuel Taylor.
4 reviews
July 5, 2022
The book has great stories about people like Sheryl Sandberg, Marc Benioff, Oprah, Bradley Cooper, and tons more. I'd never really seen how they used mentors to succeed. My favorite part of the book was that the authors made it clear the mentors didn't make the mentee successful -- they would have been successful either way -- but the mentees figured out how to use mentors to succeed. That's a big point... mentees make the relationship.

Amazing read. I have tons of notes I took while reading it.
Profile Image for Lisa Pubst.
3 reviews
July 6, 2022
I had heard Eric Koester speak on a podcast, and reached out afterward and got a copy of the draft of the book. I thought it was an interesting idea, but once I learned about the PAST framework it made way more sense to me. It's kinda an old way of thinking usually about finding one mentor. Instead its finding lots of mentors who help with smaller things and sometimes those smaller things become big like giving you a job or a project or writing a letter of recommendation. Very much a mind shift from the book. Must read for anyone in college or early in their career -- or even someone who is a mentor. Honestly, mentors should all read this to learn how to be more helpful.
October 10, 2022
Thoughts: I am so thankful to have a copy of this book! Although I am not starting my career I am so very excited to have a copy for what I would consider phase two in my life (once I retire from corporate America). 😂 I am a huge believer of it’s who you know and how you network. This book has some amazing tips on how to surround yourself with the RIGHT people! I will definitely be using this advice with the goals and changes I have planned! Thank you Eric and Adam!
Profile Image for Prerana Shah.
384 reviews5 followers
October 14, 2022
The book is big and chunky. There is a lot of information so you need to be in a mindset to pick up this non fiction book. The author questions the idea of “why you need a mentor in life” which I kind of found of weird. As humans you always have people in your life who have mentored you some way or other without you knowing. Saying that it’s good book if you have unfinished projects or goals. The exercises will be the most useful in that case.
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