Tag: #ThankYourMentor

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Mentors Celebrated on #ThankYourMentor Day!

Support. Advice. Inspiration. These are just a few of the words used to describe mentors by those who participated in the annual #ThankYourMentor Day campaign to celebrate National Mentoring Month. On January 31st, several Argonne employees shared stories, videos and photos to demonstrate the power of mentoring through simply saying “Thank You.”

These stories were shared across all of Argonne’s social media platforms letting our followers know the value we place in shared experiences and growth. We encourage you to see for yourself! Follow the links below and engage with your colleague’s expression of gratitude. There are few main take-aways from these stories.

Mentoring is valuable at any stage of your career. Whether you are a high school student learning how to become a researcher, a postdoc learning how to become independent and take that next career step, or a professional learning how to navigate a new workplace and build skills to be successful in current and future roles, mentors can make a big impact.

Mentors benefit just as much as mentees in mentoring relationships. As you will see from these stories, mentors learn just as much from their mentees as their mentees do from them. Mentors find personal satisfaction and joy from sharing their experience and continue to hone their skills through mentoring.

Mentoring happens in many ways. If you think of your personal and professional journeys and the people who have been influential to your learning and success, you will find that many of your mentors were not necessarily called “mentor” at the time. Mentoring happens organically through our professional networks. It can also happen formally through mentoring programs such as the Postdoctoral Mentoring Program, the Argonne ACT-SO Program and the EGS-SA Mentoring Program. One question to ask of your colleagues when you are interested in advancing your learning is, “Who would you recommend I talk to?” This simple question can lead to finding a mentor even if the connection is made informally.

Want to learn more about mentoring at Argonne? Follow the Argonne Mentoring Blog for tips and stories from mentors and mentees. Watch for upcoming Meaningful Mentoring workshops from the Leadership Institute and check out materials from the 2019 Meaningful Mentoring Workshop Series. And look for ways to say “thank you” to your mentors throughout the year. The Core Values Shout Out Program offers a quick, yet meaningful way to tell your colleagues how much they mean to you!

LinkedIn Post

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Twitter

Facebook #ThankYourMentor Video

Instagram #ThankYourMentor Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Start the new year by celebrating mentors

The new year presents an opportunity to launch new goals or reboot existing ones. While holding true to our new year’s resolutions may seem daunting, the support of mentors can help us to succeed.

January is National Mentoring Month making it the perfect time to reflect on what it means to be a mentor and how mentors help us to learn, grow and achieve our goals.

This month, we encourage the Argonne community to think about how we can celebrate our roles as mentors and how we can show appreciation to those who have mentored us. There are a couple key dates to encourage sharing our stories.

Jan. 8 is “I Am A Mentor” Day. On this day, we encourage mentors to reflect on how being a mentor has enriched their lives and to celebrate this mutually beneficial relationship. Several Argonne mentors have expressed the many benefits of being a mentor – advancing your own learning and personal growth, honing skills, expanding networks, and the enjoyment of feeling valued and giving back to the next generation. Please consider sharing your own story with your mentees or on your social media pages.

On Jan. 30, National Mentoring Month will come to a close with “Thank Your Mentor” Day. Last year, we celebrated this day with a campaign encouraging people to recognize their mentors on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) using the hashtag #ThankYourMentor. Several mentor-mentee pairs were featured on Argonne social media with the #ThankYourMentor sign. We plan to do the same this year and want to feature as many mentors and mentees as possible on Argonne’s social media channels on Jan. 30.

Justin Breaux (CPA), digital social media producer, will be available to take photos to be featured on social media for “Thank Your Mentor Day.” If you are interested, please talk to your mentor and complete this Doodle Poll to schedule a time for a quick photo.

Here are a few other ideas to thank your mentor:

  • Give your mentor a core values shout-out
  • Send your mentor a nice, handwritten thank you note
  • Offer your mentor a cup of coffee and share what you’ve learned from them
  • Write a recommendation for your mentor on LinkedIn
  • Stop by their office and just say, “Thanks!”
  • Pay it forward by mentoring someone else

Helping each other grow and accomplish individual, group, and laboratory goals is a hallmark of mentorship and our core value of Teamwork. There are many small gestures you can make to show your appreciation. Choose one and let everyone know what a great mentor you have!

 

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Thank Your Mentor Day to Close Out National Mentoring Month

Each January, during National Mentoring Month, we are presented a chance to reflect on mentoring—what it means to be a mentor and how mentors have helped us learn and grow. I’ve shared my own experiences as both a mentor and mentee on here before. As a mentor, I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to help others acclimate to a new environment and find their way through their own career path. I didn’t know I was viewed as a mentor until each “mentee” wrote to me years later to thank me for being a mentor to them.

The sense of purpose each of these random notes brought is the type of benefit mentors commonly report as why they choose to mentor others. If you note from my examples, you might not have “mentor” as an official title, but bear in mind, someone may see you in this light.

As a mentee, I’ve benefited in uncountable ways from mentors—official and unofficial. Whether it was getting a boost of confidence, being introduced to new professional opportunities, or being challenged when I needed it the most, mentors have helped me learn and grow as an individual and professional.

I continue to reach out to my mentor network as I journey through my career. When I transitioned from being a Postdoctoral Appointee to the Postdoctoral Program Coordinator almost eight years ago, there was a steep learning curve. My Division Director at the time thought it would be useful to connect with mentors who had taken similar career paths. That’s when I met Katie Carrado-Gregar, Associate Division Director for CNM User Programs & Operations. Katie helped me gain a broad view of the Laboratory and learn how to communicate with people across the career and leadership spectrum. I also learned how to find value in my work and manage the “identity crisis” one goes through when moving from a research to a management role. While we have not established formal mentoring meetings, I still call on her from time to time for advice and guidance.

On January 31st, National Mentoring Month will come to a close with Thank Your Mentor Day and I encourage everyone to reflect on their mentoring experiences and thank their mentors. One way to do this is to give them a shout out on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) using the hashtag #ThankYourMentor.

This could be a photo with you and your mentor holding a #ThankYourMentor sign. Justin Breaux, Argonne’s Digital Social Media Producer with the Communications and Public Affairs organization, has offered to take photos and help get them promoted. If you are interested, talk to your mentor and let us know when Justin can come by and snap a photo.

Here are a few other ideas to thank your mentor:

  • Send your mentor a nice, handwritten thank you note
  • Offer your mentor a cup of coffee and share what you’ve learned from them
  • Write a recommendation for your mentor on LinkedIn
  • Stop by their office and just say, “Thanks!”
  • Pay it forward by mentoring someone else

There are so many small gestures that mean a lot in letting someone know you value their mentorship. Choose one and let everyone know what a great mentor you have!

Lastly, there will be Meaningful Mentoring Workshop focused on setting expectations and assessing understanding on January 31st. See details and registration information on Argonne Today.