When I woke this morning I had so many thoughts rushing through my mind I am surprised that I was able to even sleep. I am in my hotel room in Dubai, UAE and getting ready for a client meeting this morning with three other colleagues who share the passion for the gift of mentoring. I am humbled and honored to be in their company. Their passion for being part of the journey is what continues to stoke my passion.

We talked about the many different ways that mentoring plays a large part in all of our lives. Mentoring truly does make a difference in organizations and in people whether it is on a personal basis or on a professional basis. Mentoring is about caring for people and for organizations and helping them be the best that they can be.

Mentoring is truly a global solution and yet it is still a journey that some are not sure of. Can I afford the time to implement a mentoring program – can I afford the time to implement a mentoring culture? All very valid questions and yet I ask you, “Can you afford not to?” Whether you are facing a recruitment and retention issue, a mass exodus of retirees from your organization, lack of leadership talent, lack of succession planning/development, disengaged employees or a mobile work force to name but a few, mentoring can play a role as a solution to these business challenges. On the personal front are you lacking self-esteem and self-confidence, struggling with communication skills or lack thereof, having difficulty in developing and maintaining relationships then mentoring can play a role in helping you to address these challenges? Here is the challenge though is that the mentoring process is not premised on the idea that we would tell you how to deal with those challenges. You thought this was going to be easy! An effective mentor – a trained mentor will guide you to the answers through the Socratic Method. We want you to develop the critical thinking skills you need to be successful in life and in whatever profession you may be in or desire to be in. If you are given the answers you will never be accountable for the outcomes. We want you to be engaged, empowered and accountable. Surprisingly most people want that.

As we continue our journey we see the need for effective mentoring no matter where we go. We see the need to provide the tools to people that are born and raised in a country to mentor the youth so that their heritage and culture never gets lost. It is so easy to reach out to sources outside of your own country when you have the knowledge base within and just need the tools to share that knowledge through an effective mentoring process. We see opportunities to provide tools to people of different cultures to communicate more effectively with each other in a professional and/or personal relationship. We see the opportunity to provide tools to so many – tools that are transferable tools that can be used in a professional and personal setting. It may not be an easy journey but then that is what makes this so exciting! Through the “gift of mentoring” no matter where you live or work anything is possible. Embrace the “power of mentoring” – “Can you afford not to?”