It's National Mentoring Month: 10 Great Reasons to Mentor in 2023

The holidays were here and wishing you a happy 2023. It is also National Mentoring Month! I hope you will reflect on one of the greatest gifts of all. YOU. Yup, you. Your wisdom, experience, your knowledge, vision, skills, encouragement, and compassion. Your time to sit across from one another and share your expertise.

Here are 10 Reasons to Mentor in 2023. You have so much to offer and so much to gain. Let's break down some of the benefits, and the opportunities ahead:

1] LIFE GOT LONELY, CONNECT:?In our new hybrid world, people lost human connection, and tens of millions left their jobs. Sitting down 1:1 and really listening to what another is challenged with or excited about can be a great time to experience share. You are an amazing book of professional and life experiences, as you hear what others need, you can open up pages and chapters that are relevant and helpful.

2] UNDERSTAND THE LADDER:?Your kids are on the ladder, your workforce and their loved ones are?on the ladder, and members of your community and academic and religious institutions are working to climb a proverbial ladder. When we get busy, when people reach the highest heights, they often forget the ladder is there and that others need to climb (with mentoring support) to their first internship, job, or promotion. You are in a unique position to champion others in 2023. Be an ally, and sponsor others- what a gift! Pull the ladder in.

3] PLAN THE HOUR X 10:?Leaders lead, and people need face time with you. Consider booking as a priority a monthly mentoring coffee meeting with people who will benefit from your gems of wisdom. Maybe lay out your top themes you really want to cover. For example January: Sales strategy + Tools February: Management and Leadership March: Organizing the Work Week April: Lessons I Learned from My Mentors March: How to Avoid Costly Mistakes: April: How to Find Your North Star...

4] IT'S QUITE OKAY TO?PHONE A FRIEND:?People around you have gifts to share too. Ask them to mentor someone or have a one-hour session on a specific topic that will really help your mentee/ protege. For example, a young woman wanted to learn more about DEI?careers (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) so I shared what I knew and then put her in touch with one of my own DEI mentors for a call. Enlisting others in the process can be a great experience for all. A gift that keeps on giving. Expand the circle.

5] EMBRACE THE MUTUAL LEARNING:?I have trained over 10,000 mentors and mentees in corporate America and there have been a lot of themes and patterns. One of them is mentees have tremendous insights to share and want to give back to their mentors too. Ask questions, and welcome the learning, these are mutually beneficial, reciprocal relationships. "I got just as much out of it as she/he/they did," is a common refrain from mentors. From different age groups, ethnicities, religions, perspectives, and geographies, there can be so much diversity in mentorship opening up new worlds and learning to all parties involved. I always share with clients that if we want more diversity, we need to mentor and sponsor (champion) more diversely.

6] IT TAKES TWO TO MAKE THINGS GO RIGHT: PEER TO PEER:?I recently connected with a great leader I have known informally for years and we completely hit it off on the phone. We have friends in common, both build mentoring initiatives and are in long-term relationships with almost adult children. We started speaking 2x a month in a personal/professional peer-to-peer mentoring format. It has been such a blessing for me. Just love the camaraderie, and the learning, I feel so happy when we speak and it is so nice to have a special someone in your corner whom you can learn from and support. Professional mentoring does not have to always be hierarchical. Peer-to-peer is a delight (and an ideal model for M & As to bring executives together).

7] YOUR MENTORING COLLEAGUES AS LIFELINES:?Most companies are experiencing significant change and it's often difficult to absorb it all on your 6th Zoom or MS Teams call of the day. People are struggling to stay focused. You might be the one leading the troops through the change or you might have fears about the change taking place. Do you have a BFF or a good friend at work? Impromptu mentoring calls as an exchange of information and sharing of perspective can be a lifeline to another. Picking up the phone, even after hours to just chat for 30 minutes can be invaluable and welcomed. Getting back to the human and personal touch. We need to replace the lost water cooler conversations we had pre-pandemic, mentoring can do that.

8] REMEMBER THE?GRAND MENTORS:?I always encourage people to think through + write down the top 10 lessons learned from their mentors in their lives and pass them on to their proteges. It is a big pay-it-forward chain. Once you realize how fortunate you have been to have great mentors in your life, keep their legacy alive by passing down the learning.?I love quoting and sharing from my mentors. It keeps them alive within me. They are some of my greatest heroes.

9] THE SWOT EXERCISE:?It really helps when you are mentoring to identify where your protege is today and where they want?to go tomorrow or in six months. An exercise that I really recommend is having them write down where they are today. Their?Strengths,?Weaknesses (or Areas to Improve),?Opportunities, and?Threats. This simple exercise will likely show you?where you can most help someone. Also having a big-picture vision of where they want to be or some key goals are foundational to really helping someone. If they understand themselves better and where they are, it will fast-track your ability to help. Remember: we want them to own their vision and dreams, not make them in our likeness.

10] HAVE FUN TOGETHER:?Can you go out for pizza? Order Door Dash and have a virtual dinner together. Go to a?conference together? Text family pictures and introduce your dogs or cats or kids if virtual. It is so important to have a good rapport. To share authentically that we are not perfect, we have our ups and downs, but we are delighted?to learn and serve... connect, and enjoy a great relationship with trust, integrity, honest communication, and humor.

HAPPY NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH

Julie Kantor

Julie Silard Kantor?has spent 30 years in workforce development and served in leadership roles to build a more diverse, engaged workplace. She is CEO of Twomentor- Employee Engagement and Retention Solutions