If you won an award and had the opportunity to give an acceptance speech, who would you thank? Who would you attribute your success to? Chances are there are a host of people you could mention - people who have influenced you and helped you become the professional you are today.
Now, think about who would mention you. Who are the people you’ve helped get ahead? Mentorship has the potential to benefit anyone and everyone, from student to mid-level professional, to star athlete.
“Don’t be someone that would want to hold all the knowledge that you achieved in life… All the different ways that made your life easier… Your career easier. Be unselfish. Pass it along.” - Pedro Martinez
Ever since Pedro Martinez joined the MLB he’s dedicated himself to giving back. And, since his retirement, he’s put even more time into mentoring and speaking about the importance of being a mentor. Martinez has given far more than dollars in donations to this cause - he’s given his time, and for good reason.
Mentorship impacts more than you might initially think… Did you know that 70% of successful professionals attribute their success to a mentor? Or that at-risk youth who have help from a mentor are 130% more likely to hold a leadership position? Did you know that whether you feel like it or not, every success in your career - every failure, every misstep - is a teaching moment for someone who’s starting to make their way into the working world? A lot of people hear the word “mentor” and immediately start to doubt their own abilities, or what they have to share. But mentoring isn’t as intense as the word seems.
At a recent event we threw with Starbucks and MENTOR in Boston, Martinez met with a group of influencers and young professionals to discuss the importance of mentoring, how simple it is, and how impactful that time spent can be for both parties involved.
“I know it sounds like teaching..it’s not. It’s connecting with someone else. I think offering to someone else what you’re not gonna be using when you pass...is the biggest gift. I love sharing the ways that made my life easier.” - Pedro Martinez
Everyone one of us has a lot to give. There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone you’ve helped, succeed.
And there’s nothing more professional than giving back.
The 10,000 Connections campaign is a joint commitment between LinkedIn, Starbucks and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to close the mentoring gap in the United States. For more information about becoming a mentor, please visit mentoring.org/10kconnections.