One key take away is that personal and professional growth happens both ways in these relationships. I am always inspired by the experiences, talent and insights of mentees and grow a lot thanks to them. They have made me a better leader, and I am forever grateful.

Find a mentor and make the partnership a priority. Then, open up, and be vulnerable to the opportunity. Growth doesn't come unless you are willing to put yourself out there. When you reach your career goals, the mentoring shouldn't stop. Each step in your career creates opportunities to learn, so keep the process going. And, always remember to mentor others along the way.

The power of mentoring can change the trajectory of someone's career. I know this firsthand. I have been blessed with mentors throughout my career who selflessly gave me the time and support I needed for my own development. And, they have always been my greatest champions and coaches - still to this day. Organizations need to be more deliberate to focus on mentoring. Unlike strategic initiatives or other day-today work, leaders don't often earmark time for it. Because it doesn't feel as pressing or critical as other time-sensitive deliverables, it is often not a focus. But, it should be, and it should receive the same priority status and resources. No doubt leaders in the organization have benefited from mentoring to reach their potential, so they need to prioritize this critical development opportunity for their organization. Without it, they are less likely to reach their full potential as a company or create the pipeline of talent they need for future success.

I had the opportunity to be a part of the Minnesota 100 in 1997 thanks to my company (Deluxe Corporation) sponsoring me as a mentee. I had just made a significant career change to move from an operations leader in the field to a corporate position as part of my development. Deluxe was always focused on cross-pollinating leaders across functions and roles to enrich our experiences. I was moving into a new area, Marketing. I still recall the impact my mentor made on me at a critical time in my career. Thanks for all you have done for me throughout the years, Menttium!

I initially went into mentoring as a way to help another fellow woman leader. My first partnership with Menttium was in 1999 with a woman that was in a very different industry and role than anything I had ever done. I thought, “Why do they think I can help her,” but went forth into the partnership. From this experience and every other mentoring role since, I realized that mentoring is an incredible learning process and I am taking away as much as I hope my mentee is taking from the partnership. It helps me solidify my own experience. It brings back leadership learnings to the forefront of my mind that I may have put in the backseat. It enables me to apply the learnings from my experience and my industry to other industries and situations. It educates me in other industries that I am not familiar with. And most importantly, I learn so much from my mentees as they take what I say and add to it in a significant way. It is all of this that has made me a life long mentor.

When you experience conflict or a set back that feels very personal, most of the time it is not about you. If you reflect on that, you can usually figure out what it is truly about - a business situation, an agenda, a personal situation... that is outside of you that is creating the current conflict or set back. Once you realize that, you can improve your emotional response and address it in a more effective way.

Mentoring is such an important part of leadership growth to gain perspective, new leadership tools, to solidify current learnings and to help overcome current barriers. Using mentors outside of your company enables a leader to explore and open up in a way they cannot with mentors from their own company.

A key takeaway from my experience as a mentor is the learnings I have been able to gain from each of my mentees. In every mentor-mentee relationship, I gain the experience of new industries, roles, and companies based on my discussions and shared experiences with my mentees. It has provided me with a well rounded view as a business professional.

Focus on the intentionality of the experiences you're gaining in your current season. It is preparation for the future because your ability to situationally lead through the nuance and context of the dynamics of your current workplace will be the unwritten competencies needed for success at the next level.

Menttium provides ``access`` to each of your candidates for mentoring. Access to knowledge and know-how that takes years to accumulate and access with context that cannot be found without walking a mile in those shoes. Mentoring also allows your company to be able to gain access to best practices concentrated into the 1-on-1 mentoring relationships that can be measured.

Looking back from my first engagement with Menttium to now, I can truly say this has been extremely rewarding for me personally and professionally, and has provided me access to a global community of professionals that share the same desire to help others and be continuous learners.

Mentoring a new leader every year for so many years has taught me that leaders across industries, business types, solutions and functional areas all struggle with similar challenges. They may take different shapes or sizes, but we really can bring a diversity of perspectives together to collectively help one another.

Always put time aside in your weeks, months and years to get outside of your own bubble, to think critically about your business from different perspectives and to openly explore alternative approaches to your challenges. You will breathe new life and inspiration into your business.

Mentoring keeps me on my toes as a leader, reminding me of the challenges my team may be having and allowing me to explore similar problems through different lenses. There is nothing more fulfilling in leadership than helping someone develop in their chosen career and Menttium has allowed me to scale that beyond my personal and professional reach.

I approach every partnership as an opportunity not only to mentor and assist in developing my partner's leadership and confidence skills, but to also learn and grow in my own leadership capabilities. Mentoring provides the opportunity to share and discuss experiences, both successful and challenging. In every partnership, I learn as much from my partner as I hope they are learning from my experiences.

Becoming a strong leader takes time, practice, patience and the ability to learn from successes and mistakes, both yours and others. Never be afraid to ask for feedback or assistance from others, particularly from your mentor or someone in a similar situation as yours. You will be amazed how much you can learn by just asking a few questions or taking a moment to ask for feedback on a given situation.

Mentors provide a neutral sounding board for guidance and reflection in a particular situation. Although each organization is unique, situations can be similar across unique organizations. In many cases, the mentor can provide a non-bias viewpoint and perspective based on years of experience in other industries or situations. Mentorship ensures a wide plethora of viewpoints for the mentee to consider and leverage within their organization. Leaders with access to a mentor are better informed and have access to a variety of industry experiences. In addition, working with a mentor also provides the opportunity to discuss and validate ideas. I have found that this builds confidence and strength in leadership.

I am frequently in awe of the talent and engagement of these leaders who demonstrate the courage to participate so fully in this mentoring program. It truly is an act of courage and vulnerability to allow another person to see the real us and partner to become even greater.

I heard this quote the other day: “A smart person learns from their own mistakes. A brilliant person learns from the mistakes of others.” Be a brilliant person and leverage the wisdom of those around you. Asking for help and leveraging those who are willing to be a contribution to you and your future are game changing habits. There is no need to go it alone.

We all know life and work are complicated and seem to be even more so with every passing year. To have someone who is on your side and invested in your success is an incredible benefit. We have so few ``safe places`` to process challenges, experiment with new ideas, and challenge our thinking where the risk is low. To have that unbiased, broader perspective that a mentor can bring is invaluable. And the many benefits that also accrue to the employer are undeniable - increased engagement; reduced turnover; more empowered leaders; exponential skill growth; confidence growth just to name a few. This is a small investment for a major return.

I was invited into this amazing program as a mentee earlier in my career and dreamed of being asked to be a mentor one day. That dream was realized in 2014. What a gift to be able to contribute to someone the way so many generous leaders contributed to my life and career. I am confident that because of this generous contribution, guidance, wisdom and support my life and career are all the richer.

A key takeaway from my experience is gratitude for the opportunity to have mentored so many talented leaders. It is inspiring and energizing to be part of their journey. I get to listen and understand what is important to my mentoring partner, share my experiences and see the leadership growth over the course of our time together. I grow as a leader as well because it gives me the opportunity to reflect on my leadership values and how I can be a better leader in my organization. I appreciate the opportunity to pay forward the support I have received and continue to receive in my career from mentors. It is an amazing experience and Menttium does a terrific job in the matching process to maximize the benefits of mentoring.

My piece of advice to up and coming leaders is to own your career and future growth. Be clear and honest with yourself about where you are and where want to go in your career. It should be a path that excites you, and with each experience in your career, confirm that you are going in the right direction. Be willing to take risks and be vulnerable because that is when growth happens. It is important to have mentors along the way to support, challenge and advise you towards achieving your goals.

Mentoring is a powerful people strategy for an organization from a talent acquisition, development and retention perspective. It accelerates the development of leaders with its 1:1 design customized to the needs of the individual. Mentoring can improve confidence, communication skills and interpersonal relationships.

I have truly enjoyed mentoring through Menttium. Menttium makes it easy to be a mentor by taking care of the all details and I can focus on the mentoring process itself.

I consider myself very lucky to have been partnered with so many outstanding and talented leaders. Each of those relationships provided me on opportunity to see other perspectives and force me out of my comfort zone through the back and forth of our conversations. Leaning more about my mentees made me reflect upon how I needed to evolve and change to be a better mentor. For these gifts, I will always be grateful. Thank you.

During times of change or upheaval in your personal or professional life, run to your true vision versus away from your troubles.

Both participants benefit in this collaborative relationship. The power of mentoring is really about the connection between people and the trust that can be built between them when it's done right. There are so many positives to that strong connection (e.g. challenge thinking, bring different perspectives, evolve as a person, skill development, etc.). A company benefits from the enlightened engagement and culture building that comes from those relationships at scale.

The best part of being part of the Menttium program is how much I learn from the wonderful people I partner with as mentees. My most recent mentee has been able to share experiences that she is having that remind me of lessons I have learned and somehow forgotten, and inspires me to continue to grow.

To be curious and give grace. You will always learn something new, and you will find that others will be open and willing to collaborate with you to make great things happen.

The power of mentoring is that it creates a safe space for the mentee to express themselves, try on new things, learn and grow to become the leader they aspire to be.

This has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life. I feel so privileged each time I meet my new partner, knowing it will lead to a rich experience and a meaningful relationship.

They were all so engaged and truly appreciated the experience.

Listen to others' input and yet continue to be yourself.

It's a wonderful way to get support and have a ``safe place`` to share concerns and learn more about yourself and your leadership style.

I absolutely love how every mentee I've ever worked with flourished and grew and found out that they already had what it takes to fit into those ``big boots`` and make a difference at their companies.

Be true to yourself. Just be yourself. And just keep taking that one step forward.

I hear over and over again, and it is what I experienced when I was a mentee with Menttium - there is great power that comes from the wisdom of others from other companies and industries. This makes it easy to share openly with someone who has no other agenda except to be there for you.

Favorite memory is establishing deep personal bonds with several Menttium mentees and the Menttium team. I really consider them great friends not just professional partners!

Bring these three things to every relationship and every opportunity where you have interest: Curiosity, Energy, & Perseverance!

``People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel`` ~Maya Angelou

Mentoring is not a ``nice to have`` — but an ``essential must`` to develop the leaders we need for the future!

You are the main person and you know your capabilities and what you really want.

Be true to yourself!

A safe place to discuss issues and to be heard!

Key takeaways from my experiences is to be useful and provide insights to the mentee at the level they are in their career development. I listen carefully to what they are saying and then start at that point with mentoring. A couple of favorite memories include helping a high level technical person feel confident and deliver a great business presentation where her comfort level was science not business. Other great experiences were seeing mentees get promoted and grow in their careers. The best experience of all, however, is when a mentee reaches out after many years to share news or to seek advice. The mentoring relationship stands the test of time.

One piece of advice I would share would be to seek what brings you joy and focus your career on joy. You can do anything and make money, but if you do what you are passionate about, the money is the extra that comes too. I would also say seek the highest potential where you feel valued and where you can create value.

The power of mentoring delivers an unbelievable experience. To walk alongside someone growing in their career and who is ready to listen to a mentor and take that mentoring advice to put it into practice is a feeling like none other. Helping others put into practice things we as mentors have learned through our careers is providing a boost in the mentee's career. It is extremely satisfying to mentor others and see great things come of it.

As a mentor, you need to take some time and listen carefully to identify that issue that is really important to the mentee. Then you will be in a better position to make a significant contribution.

Career development applies to all employees, not just those considered high potential. Mentoring is a critical aspect of that.

Mentoring is an invaluable investment in your people and your company.