I would venture to guess that all of us have a story about someone that made a defining difference in their life. Perhaps it was a teacher, parent, grandparent, coach, or boss. Regardless of who he or she was, take a moment to sit and remember why you thought of them first—what did they do to earn this spot in your life?

Here is one such story: a young man beginning his career in hospitality started at the Front Desk, where he proved to be successful.  He was offered a promotion to Night Auditor, at which again he excelled, but over time, the hours of working the night shift began to wear on him. His job performance remained of high quality, but his attitude had in fact shifted; he wasn't as engaged with other managers or team members. His supervisor noticed this change and was concerned whether he would remain the type of manager this company required for advancement. However, when this Supervisor met with a Regional Manager, he asked her if this young man was worth saving, and she said, "Yes." This was a life changing decision she made for him because she believed in all the positive qualities that were well represented before and during his struggle. She was willing to take a chance on giving him the power and confidence that her belief in him would hold; she was his mentor and made a this defining difference in his life and career. Footnote: He became very successful and had a long career with that same company.  

The moral of this story is that we all have the ability to positively influence and mentor those around us. Everyone should have a mentor—no one is too good or too successful to have a mentor. You are never too experienced, or too old, either.  I have had a few mentors in my life, and they helped me understand the power of mentoring, why I needed it, as well as what I was going to gain from the experience. Most successful people have mentors at some point in their careers/lives. Once I learned the process of mentoring, looking back now, I can see several defining moments that shaped my business into our success today. 

Numbers don't lie, so take a look at this infographic that was adapted from the Infographic: Mentors make a difference and created by DegreeSearch.org 

For me personally, one of the biggest gains from my mentoring sessions, was how they empowered me to make decisions, and most importantly, turn them into actions. Plus, they held me accountable for the content of our discussions. 

If your workplace does not have a mentoring program, I would recommend starting one. The individual gain on a program like this is powerful, as seen above. And remember...