????說起導師制，新一代企業主和創業者，以及創業機構的領導人，都犯了一個重大的錯誤。我們將復雜的“導師制”簡單化了，認為“導師制”只不過就是提供建議的代名詞。

????對于這種誤解，筆者本人也感到非常內疚。畢竟，我們經常會對年輕人說：“你想成功嗎？找一名導師吧。”然而，說起來容易。雖然我們的出發點是好的，而且提供建議確實也是導師制中一個至關重要的部分，但導師制不是零和游戲，效果也無法得到保證（而且，通常根本無法衡量）。

????坦白地講，我們還沒明白導師制的真正含義，就不能再將它作為刺激創業和增加工作崗位的一種工具到處兜售。導師制的實質是把其他人的智慧與學識傳授給具有迫切需要的人。可靠的導師既是可以征詢建議的“共鳴板”，也是創業路上的向導。許多成功的故事當中，他們都是關鍵的幕后推手。

????如果我們真地想利用導師制，幫助美國的工作者們在日益復雜的經濟形勢下做好充分準備，就必須把對導師制的認識從一般化的概念轉變為高度個性化的體驗，并可以按比例放大，為數百萬人服務。以下為實現這一目的的五條途徑：

????1. 為知識與實踐牽線搭橋

????筆者最近與納威?賈因一起用餐。賈因創辦過月球運輸與數據服務公司Moon Express、信息服務公司inome和InfoSpace。作為X PRIZE基金會和奇點大學（Singularity University）的理事，賈因一直處在所謂“創業慈善事業”的前沿。從3D打印到高級遺傳學，短短一個小時內，賈因就讓我了解到許多令人驚奇的技術。但像這樣的信息不應該成為少數人的特權。

????然而，創業者很少有機會接觸到這個層面的科技創新。相反，許多創業者只是被慫恿從其他創業者那里獲得指導，而吸引他們這么做的所謂科技企業創業精神，只不過是伴隨著巨大開支的短期獲利行為。

????我們首先要做的，是為心懷抱負、積極主動的創業者找到掌握知識的人，比如科學家、研究人員、STEM（科學、技術、工程設計與數學）專業人員和慈善家等，為他們牽線搭橋。

????2. 既要有全球思維，也要增強本地的間接指導

????生活成本的上漲和其他宏觀經濟因素，正在讓越來越多的創業者將目光轉移到當地社區。職業學校和社區大學可以幫助學員聯系當地社區。但我們還必須通過公-私伙伴關系，來傳授創業精神。我們需要下一代創業者為他們自己的家鄉創造工作崗位。創業項目、教育家、政府機構和開發人員需要齊心協力，吸引、留住人才。在這方面，非營利機構Idea Village在新奧爾良取得了出色的成就。

????而General Assembly等創業項目則將各不相干的團隊聯系起來，如市政府、創業者、黑客等，通過互相接觸與合作，提供間接指導。

????3. 認識到同齡人關系的價值

????了不起的導師不見得一定要比學員年長。實際上，同齡人之間相互學習是培養領導力最有效的工具之一。所以，我們為什么不在所有導師制倡議中加大對這方面的利用呢？

????4. 個性化配對，對效果進行衡量，增加獲得指導的途徑

????盡管一對一導師制很有價值，但僅僅依賴面對面的、企業對企業的關系并不現實。因此，許多機構，如國際青年成就組織（Junior Achievement，簡稱JA）和全球創業指導基金會（Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship，簡稱NFTE）等正在逐步向數字模式轉變。例如，筆者所在的機構便與花旗集團（Citi）合作推出了一個名為#StartupLab的項目，除了現有機構（包括JA與NFTE）外，我們還可以在社交網絡平臺上為創業者提供指導。

????When it comes to mentoring the next generation of business owners and startup founders, leaders of entrepreneurship organizations have made a huge mistake. We have simplified a complex term -- "mentorship" -- into a generic synonym for dishing out advice.

????I'm guilty of it myself. It's all too easy to say to young people, "Oh, you want to succeed? Get a mentor." We mean well, and offering advice is a vital aspect of mentorship, but it is not a zero-sum game, and its benefits are not guaranteed (and often not measured at all).

????Frankly, we can't keep touting mentorship as a means to spur business and job creation without understanding what it should look like. Mentorship is about taking the wisdom and brainpower of others and imparting it to those who need it most. Solid mentors are part sounding board and part guide. They are the critical background players in many a success story.

????But if we really want mentorship to prepare American workers for an increasingly complex economy, then it must undergo a shift from a generic concept to a highly individualized experience that can be scaled to serve tens of millions of people. Here are five ways we can do exactly that:

????1. Connect those who know with those who do

????I sat down for dinner recently with Naveen Jain, who founded startups Moon Express, inome, and InfoSpace. As a trustee at the X PRIZE Foundation and Singularity University, he's at the forefront of what's being called "entrepreneurial philanthropy." From 3D printing to advanced genetics, what I learned in that hour with Jain was extraordinary. Information like this shouldn't be a privilege of the few.

????Yet entrepreneurs are rarely exposed to scientific innovation at this level. Instead, many are only encouraged to get mentorship from other entrepreneurs, enticed by a brand of tech entrepreneurship characterized by short-term wins and big payouts.

????We need to start connecting those with knowledge -- scientists, researchers, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, and philanthropists -- to aspiring and active entrepreneurs.

????2. Think globally, but enhance indirect mentorship locally

????The rising cost of living and other macroeconomic forces are shifting many entrepreneurs' focus to local communities. Vocational schools and community colleges can help connect mentees to the local community. But we must also teach entrepreneurship with public-private partnerships. We need the next generation of entrepreneurs to create jobs in their hometowns. Entrepreneurship programs, educators, government organizations, and developers will need to band together to attract and keep talented workers. The nonprofit Idea Village has done this with great success in New Orleans.

????Programs like General Assembly connect a broad spectrum of disconnected groups -- city governments, entrepreneurs, hackers -- to provide indirect mentorship through exposure and collaboration.

????3. Recognize the value of peer relationships

????A fantastic mentor doesn't necessarily have to be older than their mentee. Indeed, peer-to-peer learning is one of the most effective tools we have for leadership development. So why aren't we making a bigger effort to use it in all of our mentorship initiatives?

????4. Personalize pairings, measure outcomes, and increase access

????While one-on-one mentorship is valuable, relying on in-person, business-to-business relationships alone is not realistic. As a result, many organizations, like Junior Achievement and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), are shifting to an increasingly digital model. Likewise, my organization launched a program called #StartupLab with Citi so we could build a social layer on top of existing organizations (including JA and NFTE).