In business school at Syracuse a lesson I learned long ago was reinforced: mentoring is critical. I have had mentors most of my life—whether they be in the form of guidance counselors when I was younger, people who I aspired to be, or more formal mentors through programs like the American Corporate Partners program, the Young Leadership Council at a previous place of business, SCORE, or being asked by the CEO of a company if he could take me under his wing.

At business school, I learned this was important because not only can these people help you eliminate roadblocks in your life through connections, wisdom, insight and experience but they also shape your vision.

I’ve had fantastic mentors and I have had one mentor who, frankly, was the greatest letdown of my mentoring experience. So here’s what I have learned being a protégé, which I hope I can apply as I get into the next chapter of my life: becoming a mentor through the Kee to Your Future Mentoring Program.

I hope that, as a mentor, I won’t laude my mentee when she wins something and then the next day turn around and cut her throat in some business practice. I hope I don’t attend events with her and then give speeches to my company about how it’s better to fly under the radar than it is to excel at something that makes her passionate.

I hope that I don’t ever lie by omission to her so that she suffers the consequences that I otherwise could have made sure that never happened.

I hope I never tell her that the only reason why she’s successful is because she’s young and once she grows older, no one will care for her anymore.

And I hope that as I mentor, I become a trusted person and created a trusted atmosphere where she can tell me details that are important to her and then not tease her about them in front of 50 people.

You see, I’ve had fantastic mentors—and I’ve had lousy ones—and I don’t aim to be perfect but I hope that I treat her with dignity and respect, that I build her up instead of tear her down and I hope that when our appointments are through she comes away with the feeling that she can accomplish any goal she chooses and know that she has someone in her corner.

About the Author

Named Top 100 Leaders by 2012 Magazine, Jasmine Grimm has been nominated for Central Penn Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40,” and The Lancaster Chamber’s ATHENA Award.

Jasmine founded Ruby, Inc. a personal styling business that teaches women how to dress for their body types and became a two-time nominee for Inc. Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 Top Young Entrepreneurs in America. She won the 2013 SCORE Business Development Award, won the Central Penn Business Journal’s Top 25 Women of Influence Award in 2013 and the 2013 Leadership Award from the MS Society.

She has been a popular guest lecturer at the Maastricht Institute of Entrepreneurship and has been featured in Under 30 CEO and Productive Magazine, was the cover story for Harrisburg Magazine and her writing has graced National Geographic Television and Film, Harvard University and more.

She’s a 5,3,8,3 on the Kolbe A Index and her strengths include input, relator, learner, responsibility and achievement.

For more information visit her Google + Page.