Argonne Mentoring

Argonne National Laboratory

January is National Mentoring Month, which is a time to reflect on how mentoring has added value to our lives, as both mentors and mentees. Never has being connected to a mentor been more important than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of us find ourselves working remotely and at greater risk of loneliness and feeling disengaged.

When you ask both mentors and mentees why mentoring is so important, you’ll find that both find value and benefits through mentoring. It is common to hear from mentors that mentoring others provides a way to give back to others, helps them stay connected with advancements in their fields, feel connected to a larger community and feel valued for their expertise and knowledge. Mentees often report that their mentors have helped broaden their perspectives on work and life, feel better acclimated to a new work environment, and build confidence to achieve their goals.

This mutual benefit of mentoring goes beyond individuals and helps organizations succeed. This is why for the past few years, we have celebrated mentorship with a special #ThankYourMentor campaign to recognize the amazing mentors in the Argonne community. National Mentoring Month culminates in #ThankYourMentor Day, which this year will be held on January 29th.

This year, we invite the Argonne community to recognize their mentors on the Help Each Other channel of Argonne Cares during the last week of January. Share a few lines about what your mentor has meant to you and tag them in your post. Add the hashtag #ThankYourMentor. We will highlight some of the common themes in a future Mentoring Blog post. Need inspiration? Check out some of the stories from the 2020 #ThankYourMentor campaign!

Just as mentoring benefits both mentors and mentees, so does the power of thanks.