There are many key components to a successful mentoring program—a company wide goal, a mentoring program manager to oversee the program, and an accurate matching process—to name a few. But during National Mentoring Month, we would like to take a moment to point out the number one factor to a successful mentoring program:
MENTORS!
A successful mentoring program wouldn’t be successful without the commitment that mentors make. We would like to take a moment to celebrate mentors. The time, the commitment, and the dedication that is involved in mentoring should not go unnoticed. If you are a mentor, thank you! If you know a mentor, ask them about their mentoring commitment. You may be surprised at what they have to say about the process.
The following are some great quotes we found from whomentoredyou.org from an ecclectic group of “famous” folks. Read what they have to say about the mentoring process.
“To be a mentor you need to understand what’s going on in a young person’s life and you just want to have an internal dialogue that says, ‘How can I help? Because I really care.’ “—Deepak Chopra
“Have respect for every person and every issue directed at you. Do not dismiss any encounter as insignificant.”—John Heider The Tao of Leadership
“What I think the mentor gets is the great satisfaction of helping somebody along, helping somebody take advantage of an opportunity that maybe he or she did not have.”—Clint Eastwood
“It’s fun to see the light in someone’s eyes. It’s fun to give your own eccentric experience and have it land. That’s fun.”—Richard Dreyfuss
“I think mentors are important and I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship. Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone. And we are all mentors to people even when we don’t know it.”—Oprah Winfrey
“I think it’s important for us to believe in one another’s capabilities. If I didn’t have someone to believe in me, I wouldn’t be the individual I am today. Neither would I strive for new territory or new direction or to believe in myself.”—Usher
“The meaningful times, the meaningful people, even the people who were not so meaningful, but these people who have done things in your life that make you what you are, they’re bricks in the building that you are.”—Antwone Fisher
“I think a mentor gets a lot of satisfaction in a couple of ways. They’re doing something constructive, so they feel good about that. And when they see the results of this, with the young people they’re working with, it’s very, very rewarding.”—John Glenn
“I think real true success is when, yes, you have reached the goal, reached yours, but it’s how many others you have helped along the way.”—Darrell Green
“In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.”—Maya Angelou
