The following is the title chapter from John's upcoming book entitled "The Orange Juice test."

The Orange Juice Test

The Orange Juice Test was developed out of desperation. The rapid business expansion in the 1970's and 1980's depleted the supply of experienced executives. Individuals with executive potential were sucked up the corporate ladder by the resulting vacuum. I was one of them.

Mentoring was a luxury seldom seen in the 70s and 80s business environment. We found ourselves struggling on those high rungs with tasks we had no prior experience with, or even exposure to. Left to our own devices we developed often-unique techniques. How to know when the vital annual sales forecast was ready to go? We knew the date the numbers were needed. But how accurate where those numbers? The person who was to review the forecast and how we came up with the numbers to determine how close our forecast might come to reality had never done it before. Being reassured that the numbers wouldn't be set in stone and that accuracy was not critical to job performance carried little comfort when you knew your predecessor got canned for submitting inaccurate forecasts!

Intuitively I knew that without reviewing the assumptions used to create a forecast was a subscription to failure. Were we assuming we'd get that one big contract every competitor was fishing for? Or that our success was based on getting the new companion product out in the next quarter? While you ascend a steep ladder in an organization, you descend on a parallel slick slide! The grease could be an inaccurate assumption.

As a vampire uses the night to advantage, so can a desperate person. I am not suggesting you sleep in a vampire's coffin while "it" is out foraging. I do suggest that just before going to sleep you instruct your brain to review whatever your priority task is, using all applicable data. When you wake, immediately drink a glass of orange juice. If your stomach is comfortable, submit your forecast. If your stomach feels sour, consider calling in sick and immediately review the project!

I had such good fortune using this approach that I garnered a reputation as a reliable forecaster, which led to more promotions and increased responsibility. You could say that in the absence of a mentor I began mentoring myself--in a juicy way. A mentor is someone who has been there and done that successfully and wants you to join this select group. A successful mentor loves to hear, "I could have done that by myself!" Because next time, you will.

I now apply all my personal resources to any given situation, even my slumbering brain and gastric acids. I do not promulgate my self-mentoring test within organizations though I do accept the rewards and benefits it provides. My advice to anyone is to preferably find a mentor who will review your approach and assumptions; but when a mentor is not available, use the orange juice test. The time to contact a mentor is when you think this swallow of desperation may be necessary, or when you try the test and wind up less than comfortable.

Self-mentoring is still necessary in today's workplace. "The Orange Juice Test," subtitled "Desperate Acts of the Non-mentored Individual," is the working title of my current e-book. In this epistle I explore actual situations, situations encountered in each department within an organization, in a practical way that can assist the non-mentored individual to successfully deal with desperate challenges. To discuss self-mentoring further, please feel free to contact me.