About the Book
The Art of the Business-Mentor is an assembly of best-practice know-how from many sources brought together into one handy volume. It is a reference source for improvement, variation and customisation of style and craft. The practical content has been applied to over 1,000 Australian business-leaders through formal training courses, lectures and application with hundreds of clients.Why having a copy of this handbook in your reference library is a good idea! Who will it help?
- Professional mentors offering an experienced second-head to challenge conventional thinking and to foster curiosity about alternative ways of generating solutions.
- Executives managing difficult personalities and strong teams.
- Former business leaders wishing to guide the next wave of talent.
- Mentees who want to learn about good mentoring practice and process.
- Mentors who seek to refine skill-sets and explore or have available a wider variety of proven techniques and methodologies.
Why the lighthouse and bulb?
Across almost 20 years of practice, the symbol of a lighthouse with its strong dependable beam flashing in the dark, has represented a focal point for danger but safe passage, strength and dependability. Similar to the journey of a good mentoring relationship. The bulb is enlightenment, that ‘Wow’ factor when the light of realisation flickers and suddenly comes on brightly in a conversation. It represents the recognised symbol for ideas – the Eureka Moment. Together they are symbolic of the ‘yin and yang’ of a robust and beneficial mentoring relationship.
Michael Donovan on his book
About the Author
Michael is well known in Noosa for his voluntary contribution to several flagship enterprises. He was the Chairman of Tourism Noosa and is acknowledged for preserving it as an independent tourism organisation despite efforts to amalgamate it along with other coast tourism entities. Michael was also the inaugural Chair of Noosa Biosphere Ltd, the first successful biosphere model in Queensland, under his chairmanship, the new model for The Original Eumundi Markets was established.
He is listed in the Top 100 ‘Most Influential Persons on the Sunshine Coast.’
Michael spent some 20 years in arts and entertainment, including being the Executive Producer of the NSW Bicentennial Arts Program. He has worked in corporate public affairs and holds a number of certifications in environmental tourism plus a string of business awards and recognition for his community voluntary work. He was CEO of Best Western then created and managed the biggest executive mentor service in Australia. He occasionally still lectures in corporate governance and previously lectured modules of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Company Directors Course in which he held an Order of Merit. He is a Judge of the Sunshine Coast Business Awards and Noosa Cultural Grants.
Michael's Memoir
An amazing personal adventure from a suburban childhood in Australia; to deal-making in Hollywood; organising world-class arts events; intrigue at the Vatican; a UNESCO start-up; roles as an international tourism CEO and recognition and demand as a leading educator, lecturer and executive business mentor by top corporate executives.
Donovan’s memoir is an engrossing ricochet of interests and achievements which puts paid to the theory of career-planning. Extracted from over twenty-two thousand pages of personal business diary entries and recollections of child-hood, this book bursts with detail, names and contemporaneous personal observations. We get to look at the machinations of government, corporate dealings and previously undisclosed insights into many notable people.
How the book details actually happened across the years is itself a journey of achievement but to have the actual person at the centre of so many events tell his story is absolutely insightful.
Here’s what people have to say about
The Art Of the Business-Mentor
“…and there are examples in this book that Michael Donovan has written that we can use in that sort of endeavour. Having a large corporate background in IT and Banking, I can see where it can be used as a mentor and to mentor someone.”
“…having that information at hand will be invaluable and give you that peace of mind. You’ll know what to do in situations you will come up against. It will no doubt help hundreds of people if not thousands if not millions to achieve greatness in their business.”
“As a University Lecturer, I work with a variety of students of all ages. If you understand what they need and how you can encourage them to use their mentors in a way more effective way, it becomes a win-win situation, and Michael is very good at that.”