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Mentoring is an educational model where a more experienced mentor guides a student, providing spiritual, emotional, or financial counseling. The concept dates back to ancient Greece and continues today in various forms, including Japanese corporate culture and local mentoring programs. Anyone can become a mentor to pass on their skills and experiences to the next generation.
Mentoring is an educational model of life based on the principle of a more experienced mentor guiding his student, often called a protégé or mentee. Mentoring often involves more than a traditional teacher/student methodology: Mentors may also provide spiritual, emotional, or financial counseling for their protégés. A qualified educator may not have the time to work one-on-one with students, but a mentorship relationship encourages this level of interaction. Many companies sponsor mentoring programs to prepare junior employees for future leadership roles.
The concept of mentoring can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. Philosophers such as Socrates routinely assumed the role of mentor to young men who demonstrated great leadership potential. In return, their protégés agreed to continue the mentorship relationship with their own students. The idea of combining experience with youth continued throughout the Middle Ages with the advent of the guild system. Master craftsmen would accept promising students as apprentices, guiding them through all aspects of the craft.
The mentoring system may go by other names, but it is still the strong bond between mentor and protégé that matters. In Japanese corporate culture, a senior executive called senpai is often paired with a junior executive called kohai or kosai. The senpai/kohai relationship is held together by a bond of trust and loyalty. Almost all aspects of the kohai (junior) life are closely examined by the senior senpai. While some Westerners may feel that this sempai/kohai relationship crosses the line of an effective mentor, many young executives in Japan look forward to forming a solid sempai/kohai relationship.
Mentoring is not limited to business or political stages. Aspiring mentors can now participate in local mentoring programs designed to encourage at-risk students. Based on a similar Big Brothers/Big Sisters model, these mentorship programs pair experienced volunteers with teens seeking career or personal guidance.
However, a motivated professional doesn’t have to join an organized program to become a mentor. For example, some established creative artists participate in private mentorship sessions with promising younger artists. Mentoring is an act of love for those who want to see their skills and experiences carry on with another generation.
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