January is National Mentoring Month. This concept began in 1997 by Harvard University and in 2002 was formally put in place by the U.S. and adopted by other countries including Canada.

January was chosen as it is the month when people make all kinds of resolutions and the organizers thought, “Why not resolve to mentor?” The beginning of a new year is a wonderful opportunity to seek out a mentor or to be a mentor in order to help fulfill your own or others business goals.

To help you get started Catalyst has just come out with a research paper, entitled, “Making Mentoring Work”, with the added benefit of tools to help you achieve success in your mentoring relationships.  Check it out and see what your own company has to offer by way of formalized mentoring programs, that you can tap into.

Lack of mentoring opportunities is a frequent barrier to advancement for women and other minority groups. A lack of role models is also seen as a barrier to advancement for women. If you are willing to mentor someone in your organization and want to formalize it, talk to your Human Resource department to find out if a formal process exists. If not, take in this latest research and lead the charge.

The other piece to National Mentoring Month is a Mentor Appreciation Day to thank those people who have mentored you over the years and helped you accomplish your goals.

So, here is your assignment. Sit down and think about all the wonderful people who have contributed to your career over the past year. Write them a short thank you for their contribution and tell them how their mentoring helped you achieve your goals. I promise the exercise will be rewarding for you and your mentors.

For more information check out these past posts on mentoring:

Build a Network of Mentors

How Important is it to Have a Mentor