ONE OF MY GREATEST FEARS IN LIFE is that I will be the same person 30 years from now that I am today – that I will still be struggling with the exact same challenges that I faced as a younger man. Instead, like most people, I want to be someone who is constantly learning and improving. Growth of this kind rarely happens in isolation, however, and it often requires that we benefit from the wisdom and experience of others. In short, it usually requires a mentor.

In this edition of The Analyst, we pay tribute to our Mentorship Program, one of the more under-appreciated programs run by CFA Society Toronto. As a testament to the value of these programs, a recent study by Sun Microsystems reported that both mentors and protégés get promoted faster and enjoy more salary increases than employees who do not participate in mentorship programs.

From humble beginnings, our Mentorship Program has quickly grown to become one of our key member services, pairing more seasoned CFA charterholders (typically those with six-plus years of professional experience) with charterholders just starting out in their career. We all learn a great deal about management principles and practices in school. However, leadership is more often learned outside of school, and an individual’s career track is very often determined by whether or not they can successfully demonstrate those critical leadership skills during their first few years in the workforce. The guidance, encouragement, and support of a trusted and experienced mentor can help a mentee to develop these skills. Specifically, a good mentor will:

1. Lead The Way – helping us to find the smoothest path forward.
2. See Our Potential – bringing to our attention things we often can’t see ourselves.
3. Ask The Hard Questions – pushing us to go beyond our comfort zone and be the best we can be.

There are also tremendous benefits to be gained from acting as a mentor. The mentoring process allows you to strengthen your coaching and leadership skills by working with individuals from different backgrounds and with different personality types. As workplaces grow more diverse, the ability to manage people differently is becoming an increasingly valuable skill. Good leadership also requires that you take it all in, look at what you really want to achieve, and determine a compelling path forward so that others will help you make it happen. Acting as a mentor allows you to reinforce and refine those visionary communication skills.

On behalf of CFA Society Toronto, I would like to commend and thank all of the individuals who play a part in making our Mentorship Program such a success. This issue is dedicated to you!