Mentoring programs are ubiquitous in the corporate environment. It is widely accepted that mentorship is an effective way to facilitate knowledge sharing and encouragement. Research also shows that these programs lead to higher engagement and retention. Those benefits exist at both the organizational and individual level. Today is a simple plug to consider participating in mentorship within the tennis ecosystem.
Mentorship is also one of the primary expectations of my fellowship appointment at the day job. In that context, there is a formula that I use for initial discussions with prospective mentees. 1) Who are you? 2) Where do you want to go? and 3) How do you plan to get there?… Basically I try to be a good sounding board while equipping people with the tools they need to think on their own.
Fun fact: I officially became eligible for retirement from the day job yesterday. I am not going to be around forever.
In thinking through my answers to those three basic questions in the tennis context, I have come to the realization that I desperately need some mentorship in a couple of key areas myself. I have a couple of people in mind and will be reaching out.
That brings me to a final key point. If you are in a position in the tennis ecosystem where someone believes that you can help them, please make every effort to do so in some way. It is good for the individual and even better for the tennis ecosystem.
There is also a dirty little secret in mentorship. You are likely to get a lot more out of it than the person you are assisting.
If my hip ever gets well enough that I can play competitively, I hope to get you to mrntor me!