Reply To: How important are mentorship programs? Have you benefited from being either a mentor or mentee?

Having mentors has been a critical part of my success throughout my career. I had mentors both informally – people I met in various circumstances, and formally, through a mentorship program. Regardless of how I found them, all my mentors guided me professionally and personally. They provided me with valuable feedback and guidance, challenged me to grow, and celebrated my successes with me.

Because of the great impact mentors made on my professional development, I felt the need to give back in the same way. For close to two decades, I mentored HR professionals at various stages of their careers and supported them to learn, achieve their goals, and become more impactful through their work.

So to answer the question, mentorship programs are very important if done well. And one key element is to have a program manager with positive firsthand experience in mentoring. Otherwise, a program designed solely on theoretical knowledge risks being superficial.