Academic Mentoring

Parents, teachers and tutors are leaders in terms of nurturing young people to find their own attributes and activities in life. At Think Tutors we offer extensive mentorship opportunities and even succession assistance as we know the importance of learning leadership skills early in life. Based on my experiences both as a tutor for over ten years and President of The Tutors’ Association for three years up to 2019, here are some attributes worth exploring:

• Create and pursue a vision, share that vision and instil belief
• Have passion for what you do, especially in voluntary roles
• Find allies, build your team and learn to trust
• Be a good listener
• Communication – with your team and advocate to others, both internal and external stakeholders. Be prepared for a lot of conversations
• Seek out role models
• Seek out opportunities
• Seek knowledge
• Learn to manage people and expectations
• Learn from mistakes
• Grow emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• Grow awareness of different constituencies, other people’s perspectives
• Take responsibility and be accountable
• Be decisive. Don’t be afraid to take risks
• Be willing to make sacrifices, typically being personal ones
• Lead by example but delegate where necessary
• Stay strong, stay resilient and never give up!

How To Build Confidence

If you feel completely daunted by the prospect of becoming a leader, do not be afraid to ask for help. Our tutors, mentors and education directors are excellent resources with extensive professional and life experience. Moreover, there are great resources, books and motivational speeches readily accessible to support you in your ventures. I found the following books incredibly helpful during my presidential tenure:

Legacy – 15 Lessons in Leadership by James Kerr

Winning Matters by Sean Fitzpatrick

Leading by Sir Alex Ferguson with Michael Moritz

Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey

Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet

How to Support Your Child

When it comes to nurturing children’s independence and exploring their own goals, whether through parenting, teaching, tutoring or mentoring, identify role models in their lives. In addition, getting children to think outside the box, to try a new sport or activity, bouncing ideas off them, is a gateway to new knowledge and new experiences. The recent books You Are Awesome and Dare To Be You by Matthew Syed are a great way for children themselves to do this. Autobiographies by public figures are also good: Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls and Becoming by Michelle Obama being just two examples. There are many more out there to spur students to success.

If you would like further recommendations or want to organise new opportunities for your child through our extensive network contact Think Tutors for more information.