For those who don’t know, January is National Mentoring Month! “What’s that?” you might ask. National Mentoring Month is where people raise awareness of mentoring in all forms. It is to encourage the practice of Mentorship to others in your community, whether it’s volunteering time with youth groups or offering guidance to others in the work place. This is a time to share your experiences with mentoring, both how it’s changed your life and how you’ve changed the lives of others. Here is an interview with our CEO, Robert Francis, on what National Mentoring Month means to him!
What does Mentorship mean to you?
“Mentorship means being genuinely caring and investing the time and energy to educate, empower and inspire a colleague, family member or friend.”
How important is it to mentor others?
“It is vital to share lessons learned and best practices – regardless of title or experience – as we all learn and grow from one another.”
Who has been a mentor and a major influence in your life?
“My grandfather was a mentor and influence on my life, as well as my parents. Their word is their bond and we were known for napkin deals at a time when all the paperwork wasn’t needed.”
If you could choose any one person in the world to be your personal mentor for a day, who would it be and why?
“Great question! I would love to spend the day with Tony Hsieh – CEO of Zappos – who has admirably built a company that has a passionate culture and that separates itself from the pack.”
While Rob and other Planned members continue to mentor and guide others, we encourage you to do the same! As a reminder, International Mentoring Day is January 17th, 2018. Learn more about National Mentoring Month at www.mentoring.org.