Mentoring can be a true passion for those of us seeking opportunities to share what we have learned by supporting the next generation of leaders. I find that it has become one of my greatest achievements in serving others and reflecting on the many individuals I have helped to become better people while advancing their careers. The mentoring process in many instances can be viewed as being quite simple or somewhat more complex. One of the individuals that I recently started mentoring shared with me a relatively simple mentoring process where her former mentor would simply call her and ask her how things were going. She expressed how frustrating the process was since she had expectations that went far beyond a periodic check in call. As we began our mentoring process, we had several discussions regarding her personal challenges and life goals, career goals and objectives, what she hoped to gain from the process and timelines. A mentoring plan document was developed and it clearly outlined both of our “to do tasks” and meeting schedule. Based upon my many years of experience, I believe that it is crucial to focus on the person as an individual, as well as, their professional career simultaneously. Mentoring should include great probing questions that will allow the mentor to get to know the individual prior to focusing on their career. It is very important to discover what success looks like through the eyes of the individual mentee. Success can have different definitions and measures based upon many variables such as life experiences, career status, personal life situation, work life balance and timing. Some basic guiding principles that I have found to be valuable are: encouraging the individual to find solutions to professional challenges as opposed to providing them the answer, utilizing personal assessment tools, sharing my story, and commitment to the plan. Mentors are viewed as role models and can have a positive or negative impact on individuals seeking guidance and support. Mentoring an individual by maintaining a focus on them as a person and their career, can be extremely rewarding and have a lasting impact on a mentee’s life and future career.