What does the word mentor have to do with Father’s Day? A whole lot. As President Barack Obama shared in his recent article in People Magazine, his father left him when he was only two years old. The President grew up without a father. That absence in his life has left him determined to be the best father and mentor he can be to his two young daughters, Sasha and Malia.
The President says he has worked hard to get fathers help in this country by “supporting community programs that work with troubled fathers; getting businesses to offer things like discounted movie or sports tickets for fathers to spend more time with their kids; and by making sure dads in the military can keep in contact with their children from overseas.” The President also launched a new mentoring program for dads one year ago on Father’s Day. “Our children don’t need us to be superheroes,” the President said, “They don’t need us to be perfect. They do need us to be present.”
That is good advice for any mentor. If you are taking part in a corporate mentoring program, remember to listen and to be present! The relationship need not be a fancy one, but an honest one. One that makes the mentee feel as though he/she is being heard. Just like our children need to feel that what they are saying and feeling matters, so does your mentee! That is the whole point of a mentoring relationship, and, dare I say, that is also the whole point of parenthood……BE PRESENT!
Happy Father’s Day everyone!