The Greek storyteller Homer tells of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca.  In this tale, Odysseus asked his friend Mentor to watch over his son Telemachus while he fought in the Trojan War. Mentor was a loyal and faithful friend of Odysseus who was left behind on Ithaca as Telemachus' tutor.

In this classic tale you can see that mentoring is one of the oldest forms of influence.  Mentoring as a tool can be a powerful and popular way for people to gain personal and professional support.