Business Mentoring Matters

With the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton just two days away, the world is buzzing with excitement for the happy couple.  I caught a TV special the other night that highlighted the Prince’s upbringing with his amazing “mum”, Princess Diana.  

One fact that caught my attention during this program was something many of us who have followed the royal family have heard before, that Diana exposed Will from a very young age to life outside of the castle walls.  Princess Di mentored Will in a way that helped to shape his life and allowed him to become the man that he is today. 

On a related note, I have a friend who once told me that from the time her children were born, she and her husband prayed for their children’s future spouses.  They prayed that those spouses were living happy childhoods, living spiritual lives, were part of a loving family unit, and having life experiences that helped to shape them into a well-rounded person who would prove to be an amazing life partner for their child.  

From all of the stories I have read and the pictures I have seen of Princess Diana and Will, it seems as though she did that and then some. So Diana’s early mentoring of Will has provided Kate Middleton and her extended family with an amazing, well-rounded man!

Are you a mentor? Have you thought about how the way you mentor another may affect them not only today, but also in the future? Business mentoring deals with building relationships.  If you are mentoring a young professional, the time you spend mentoring him/her will have a great impact on his/her career. Try to remember Princess Diana and her protégé son, Prince Wiiliam, the next time you get together with your mentoree. 

If you would like to share a story about how a previous mentoring relationship that you took part in affected a future relationship, please do so in the comments section.  And don't forget to tune in for the royal wedding this Friday morning!