On Giving Thanks to Mentors

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A really great question made its way to this blog around how to give thanks to a mentor. With the American holiday of Thanksgiving just around the corner it felt like an appropriate time for me to post on this topic. Mentors have such an outsized impact on someone's life is there really a good way to show gratitude?

I think there are 3 good ways you can thank your mentor:

1. The usual way. We show gratitude in many ways to many people for many things by giving a gift, sending a card or flowers, etc. I'm sure your mentor will appreciate the thought and effort of just such a gesture.
2. By offering to help. I've always advocated that mentoring is a 2-way relationship and that the mentee should offer to help the prospective mentor in the very first conversation they have about starting the relationship. If you as the mentee haven't been taken up on that offer or even if it's been awhile since you've given something back then reminding the mentor that you are ready to help will be very much appreciated.
3. Taking their advice and having it come to fruition. I believe this is the best way to show gratitude. Using your mentor's advice and have that result in a fantastic outcome. And then recognize that outcome was in part due to your mentor. Most mentors I know wouldn't ask for anything more than seeing their mentee succeed in some way that is tied to their conversations. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

In this spirit of gratitude I would like to take this opportunity to thank you my subscribers and readers for your visits, your viewership, your great questions and shares!