Informal Mentors?
They could be:
- People you have never met
- People you want to seek advice from, but for various reasons, you can't
- Books, biographies, interesting stories, etc
Origin of the term
It's a term that Eugene Yan used in a conversation we had on Telegram. I adapted it to my own definition as I liked the sound of it.
Sources of Inspiration
Derek Siver's "How To Ask Your Mentors For Help"
In this post, Derek explains a process he uses to solve the problems he has. It's a simple one, although tedious. You start by writing down the problem you want to solve and the options you have. Then write your thoughts on each of the options. Ask yourself, if you were Warren Buffett (or whoever you mentor is), how would you go about it? Keep repeating this process. Eventually, you will realize you don't need to approach your mentor at all!
Guy Spier's "The Education of A Value Investor"
Guy explains in his book (which I highly recommend, by the way) on how he would try to "model" himself after his role models.
PS: If you must know, his role models are Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger and Mohnish Pabrai.