While in college, I had a professor who inspired me to think critically and be innovative to achieve my goals. His classes reinforced my decision to choose entrepreneurship for my degree path, and while it’s easy to lose focus of why one chooses their major, I fell in love again with my choice and the path I was pursuing. Not only was he a business owner educating me on being successful in all aspects of business, he was a teacher in the truest sense, and he was my role model for balancing business and education. As I prepared to graduate and enter the workplace, he became my mentor, giving me the necessary tools, encouragement, and feedback I needed to succeed. Role models are essential for students in the throes of their degree programs. Students need individuals to turn to that emulate the profession they’re working toward. More importantly, students need mentors to help them on their journey, giving them reinforcement and resources to achieve success. November is National Inspirational Role Models month, and an excellent time for anyone serving as a role model to think about how to evolve into a mentor. If you’re interested in mentoring, consider the following strategies.

1. Identify your goals as a mentor and what you want the outcome to be.
2. Create an action plan and establish activities to do with your mentee.
3. Have your mentee create a vision statement to review and discuss together.
4. Talk about the challenges your mentee has faced and how he or she overcame them. Address the challenges he or she is now facing. Focus on his or her strengths and how to develop them, yet not always rely on them. Discuses weaknesses, and ways to strengthen those areas.
5. Have your mentee create goals and regularly review those goals together.
6. Practice skills by role playing solutions to challenges he or she faces.
7. Let your mentee join you on networking opportunities, meetings, or job shadows. Discuss what was observed and learned, especially regarding interpersonal skills. Grow your mentee’s network by introducing him or her to people inside of yours.
8. Share, discuss, and provide feedback for oral presentations, written projects, and cover letters and resumes.
9. Continue learning and reading about your similar interests, industries, etc. Have a discussion and share these with your mentee. Be sure to give him or her suggestions on where to find articles and books for continuing growth.
10. Share education, training, and career history.

Make sure that you, too, are learning and growing from all of your mentorship relationships. Every relationship is different, but within each you can use these strategies, tips, and direction to be the best mentor possible. And in the end you will be a role model to many.