This piece was originally published in the Greenville News.

January is National Mentoring Month, a time to acknowledge and appreciate the impact mentors have personally and professionally on their mentees, and the significance mentoring has on society. Research and countless studies have demonstrated that mentors positively impact youth, college students and employees.

Think back for a moment on an influential mentor in your life. Perhaps it was a parent, family member, coach, teacher or supervisor. For me, it was Dr. Jim Kirk, founder and former director of the Human Resource Development program at Western Carolina University and advisor during my graduate studies at WCU. Dr. Kirk was the epitome of a skilled mentor. He modeled a unique blend of subject matter expertise, humility and a good dose of candor that many of us needed to hear but rarely ever do. 

The word “mentor” comes from Greek mythology. Mentor was Odysseus's friend and was entrusted with educating his son Telemachus. Today, Merriam-Webster defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” Synonyms for mentor include “tutor” and “coach.”

Inherent in that definition is the desire of the mentor to help their mentee grow in knowledge, experience and confidence. The relationship is not necessarily transactional; the mentor’s reward is seeing the success of their mentee.

Youth Mentoring

According to Youth.gov, having a good relationship with a mentor can have the following positive benefits for youth:

College Mentoring

While the role of youth mentors is well known, the role of college mentors is less so. Beyond serving as an academic advisor who tells you what courses to take to graduate or how to improve your thesis, college mentors should equally have your career goals and aspirations in mind.

As the Southeast regional director for online nonprofit Western Governors University (with more than 3,200 active students in South Carolina), I’ve seen firsthand how our program mentors work with students from day one through graduation to help them achieve their goals. Engaged and dedicated college mentors can provide the following support:

• Support for growth in students’ fields of study, whether or not they have prior experience or college credits

• Assistance with goal setting

• Holding students accountable

• Help with making professional connections

• Discernment of learning strengths (e.g., visual, auditory, solitary vs. group, verbal, etc.).

Workplace Mentoring

How important is the role of mentors in business? Consider that 98% of all Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. have mentoring programs. 

Here are just a few of the benefits of mentoring programs in the workplace: 

• Dramatically reduces staff turnover

• Produces significant cost savings, particularly in turnover costs

• Provides workers with the personal engagement they desire

• Supercharges both personal and professional growth 

• Fosters a sense of belonging 

A good mentor can genuinely change lives, position mentees for prolonged success, and provide a mentoring model we can use with others. Let’s take a moment this month to recognize the outstanding mentors in our lives and encourage more individuals to take on this vital role to mentor youth, college students and employees.