It’s not every Sunday afternoon that I take tea with a real life Lord, but that’s what happened yesterday. Oscar-winning film producer Lord David Puttnam was the President of UNICEF UK when I worked there a decade or so ago, and he became a great mentor and a friend. He’s one of those people who makes you think anything is possible, every time you talk to him.
David is an impressive man on so many levels – before his work in education and international development, he spent thirty years as an independent producer of award-winning films including The Mission, The Killing Fields, Chariots of Fire, Bugsy Malone and Memphis Belle. His films have won ten Oscars, 25 Baftas and the Palme D’Or at Cannes. He also has more honorary degrees than I can keep track of.
But the thing that made him such a shining light for me wasn’t actually any of that. It was his deep-rooted commitment to furthering human potential. We worked together on one huge project which brought sporting opportunities to over 12 million children across the world. Together with David Bull, the inspirational Chief Executive of UNICEF UK, we pitched it to the government and a host of sporting bigwigs. We then spent several years building a complex partnership to make it happen, and its legacy lives on. Time and again in the process we came up against brick walls, but instead of banging his head against them, Lord Puttnam always kept the end in mind, and found a way round or over, or reconstructed the wall completely.
What I have learned from him: Keep your eye on the prize. Fight for what you believe in. Don’t let bureaucracy stand in the way of big, brilliant ideas.
With Lord Puttnam and his son Sacha, a hugely talented composer
The importance of a good mentor
If I have learnt anything over these past few years, it’s that it takes a village to build anything worthwhile. And by that I don’t just mean having a team with you, or an active community around you, but I mean having people ahead of you, guiding you.
As a business owner, or a professional in any industry, one of the smartest decisions you can make is to find yourself a mentor. By ‘mentor’ I don’t necessarily mean someone you meet with regularly to discuss challenges and ideas, although that is incredibly valuable. I also mean people whose leadership you admire, whose values you share, and whose behaviour you want to model.
Win a mentoring session with me!
To be honest, it feels a bit odd offering myself as a potential mentor. I always think of mentors are people who are much wiser than me, but the truth is anyone who has something valuable to teach you can be a mentor.
Over the past few months I have received increasing requests for private mentoring for people wanting to develop their own online course. Given that I have spent the past six years producing, teaching and selling online courses that have been described countless times as ‘life changing’ I guess I have something of value to offer J
It’s hardly surprising that there is a need for mentors in this area, as online courses can be a fantastic way to generate a flexible income and share your gifts with the world, but… and it’s a big BUT… there is a lot to navigate to get your work out there in the hands of the right people.
I know that it can be a long road, and it can make a huge difference to have someone experienced to bounce your ideas off. Although I am consumed with writing a book right now, I am planning to start offering a 1-1 mentoring service later in the year to go alongside our online course ‘Reach Teach Profit: The E-course Creation Masterclass’.
As a trial for this, I want to give you the chance to win a free mentoring opportunity (in person or via Skype) to someone registered for the class. If you think this would benefit you, read this post!
THE PRIZE!
Your choice of the following:
- 2 x one-hour mentoring sessions with me via Skype OR
- A two-hour mentoring session in person (only available in the UK)
During this time you can ask me anything at all regarding the creation of your online course, or business in general.
*Please note you must be registered for ‘Reach Teach Profit: The E-course Creation Masterclass’ by May 31, 2016 to enter this competition. The Masterclass contains a huge amount of valuable insight into the overall development of your course, and the mentoring is designed to go alongside that teaching. You can register with a £50 discount if you join by May 31 – just register here and use the code ‘rtpmentor’ at checkout.
Find all the entry details here. (PLEASE NOTE: THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED)
I will select the winner based on who I think would benefit most from mentoring at this time. The winner will be announced by Friday June 10, 2016.
This week we challenge you to seek out a mentor, whether real (in-person) or virtual (by observation and thinking “What behaviours do I respect in them that I want to model myself? In a given situation, what would they do or advise me to do?”)
Remember, you don’t need to go it alone.
Good luck!
Beth
