As this year draws to a close and the festive season brings with it warmth, gratitude, and reflection, I’m reminded of one of the greatest gifts a professional can receive, Mentorship. Beyond the exchange of knowledge, mentorship represents trust, friendship, and the shared spirit of collaboration that helps individuals and organizations truly thrive.
Why Mentorship Matters
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”
Mentorship is not just a professional arrangement; it is a human connection that bridges experience and aspiration. Its importance lies in the profound effect it has on both the mentor and the mentee. In every field, from government and business to academia and development, mentorship shapes people, strengthens institutions, and ensures continuity. Based on my experience, there are five reasons why mentorship is vital in any business or organization:
- Keep things running smoothly
Mentorship safeguards institutional wisdom. While policies and procedures can be written down, experience — how to read a room, negotiate under pressure, or balance judgment with empathy — can only be passed from person to person, be it with a quick word in your ear or over a coffee. In organizations, mentorship helps prevent the loss of know-how when people move on or retire. It sustains standards, preserves organizational memory, and builds resilience across generations of professionals.
- Believe big, act bold
Few things are more empowering than knowing someone of experience believes in you. For a mentee, that trust transforms potential into performance. A good mentor gives not just advice but courage — the courage to make decisions, to take risks, and to stand by one’s principles and aspirations. This confidence, once instilled, becomes the backbone of leadership and innovation in any enterprise.
3. Levelling up leaders who can step up
Mentorship is a training ground for leadership. In illuminating the path for others, mentors discover their own light grows brighter – their judgment becomes more nuanced and refined, their communication blossoms into eloquence, and their sense of accountability roots itself more deeply in purpose. It alchemizes raw expertise into golden influence and hones emotional intelligence to its finest expression – those luminous qualities that distinguish truly visionary and principled leaders from the merely competent In turn, mentees are inspired to learn responsibility through example: how to lead with integrity, how to handle setbacks gracefully, and how to lift others as they rise.
- Working better together
Mentorship is the quiet architecture behind successful teams. It fosters inclusion, belonging, and the exchange of ideas across hierarchies. A workplace with active mentorship is one where people listen, where collaboration replaces competition, and where trust flows both ways. This vibrant spirit of camaraderie architects cultures where innovation and kindness intertwine like golden threads, inspiring people to rise not through the weight of fear, but through the uplifting power of unified purpose.
- Know your purpose, enjoy the ride, leave something behind
At its heart, mentorship is about meaning. For mentors, it brings the deep fulfilment of watching potential transform into excellence, of crafting a living legacy that continues to shape the world through others’ achievements. For mentees, it offers both map and milestone, providing not just direction but the wisdom to understand that every success story is a story of connection. Through this sacred exchange, mentorship cultivates gratitude, nurtures generosity, and affirms an essential truth: that our professional lives gain their greatest value not in solitary triumph, but in the shared journey toward something larger than ourselves.
And perhaps there is also a secret admiration that lies within every good mentor; the quiet pride in knowing that you can transfer your skills and wisdom to someone else, and that they might one day surpass you. It takes confidence, humility, and emotional maturity to embrace that possibility. There’s even a parental quality to it: the joy of molding someone into a better version of themselves, guiding them not to mirror you, but to surpass you. That, in its purest form, is what makes mentorship such a noble and deeply human act.
My Own Journey with Mentorship
In my own life, I’ve been truly blessed with extraordinary mentors who shaped my professional journey and character.
My most recent experience was with Kewal Thapar, our Managing Director at GBPG, From the moment we met, I was struck by his understanding of our sector, technical knowledge, and charisma. He is the kind of leader you not only admire but aspire to emulate. He had such a profound impact I asked him to join GBPG .His mentorship has offered both a map and fuel for my journey.
A profound influence in the early years of my career was Peter Neumann, then Chief Legal Officer of UNIDO and later Legal Advisor to CTBTO. He patiently walked me through the fundamentals of contracting and procurement, line by line, teaching me not just the rules but the reasoning behind them. That experience built the foundation of my professional integrity and understanding of governance.
I must also acknowledge my uncle, Nihal De Run, who was instrumental in giving me the courage to establish the Global Best Practice Group. At a time when I was uncertain whether I should take such a step, it was his belief in me — his encouragement and quiet conviction — that helped me turn an idea into glorious reality.
Role Models: Inspiration Beyond Mentorship
In addition to mentors, I’ve also had role models, individuals I admired deeply and learned from, even with the absence of a direct mentoring relationship. Role models can influence us profoundly simply through example: their professionalism, composure, and the way they lead.
Among those who have inspired me are Mr. Colin Carlile, CEO of the European Spallation Source; Mr. Stefano Fiorilli, Head of Human Spaceflight at the European Space Agency; Mr. Sean Walsh, Head of General Services at the International Criminal Court, David Kinley of the World Bank and advisor to GBPG and David Baxter GBPG Senior Advisor. Each of them, in their own way, embodied the leadership, integrity, and the excellence I’ve aspired to reach. In them, technical excellence met human warmth, relentless drive met genuine humility. They showed me that inspiration can mentor us in silence that sometimes we learn most from those who teach simply by being.
Mentorship: A Two-Way Street
True mentorship is not unidirectional. It is a two-way street built on mutual respect, courtesy, and trust. From the mentor’s perspective, it is about giving back — sharing experience, investing in potential, and nurturing the next generation in the spirit of professional stewardship. It is also deeply personal — choosing to place trust in someone young, untested, yet full of promise.
Equally, mentorship must be grounded in mutual truth — the willingness to speak honestly about abilities, aspirations, and limits. A good mentee should be able to express how they truly feel, what they can realistically do, and how they see themselves evolving, while being open to correction and direction. For mentors, honesty must be tempered with both realism and empathy: reading the landscape, grasping where the mentee stands and where they aspire to reach, then crafting guidance that meets them where they are. True mentorship flourishes not merely through shared ambition, but through transparency, openness, and authentic conversation..
From the mentee’s side, the benefits are equally profound. Having someone believe in you creates a sense of optimism, confidence, and belonging. It affirms that your efforts are seen, your growth matters, and your potential is worth the investment.
But this relationship also carries responsibilities. A mentee must uphold standards, show humility, demonstrate good manners, and respect boundaries. It also means maintaining professionalism while allowing genuine friendship to grow. Mentorship thrives when both sides support each other: when things are good, but and when difficulties arise.
The Question of Modern Mentorship
Is mentorship still needed? This is a question every generation must ask itself. In today’s hyper-connected world, some younger professionals may feel they already know more than their elders — that digital knowledge or instant access to information replaces wisdom and experience. Meanwhile, some older professionals may feel it’s no longer their place to guide others, that mentoring is too time-consuming, too thankless, or simply not their responsibility.
But good luck to anyone who chooses that isolationist path — the path of old Scrooge, who mistook detachment for strength and missed the joy of connection. Yes, mentorship and collaboration can be misused; there are times when people take advantage or fail to reciprocate. But that risk is worth taking. The joy of mentorship and collaboration far outweighs the darker impulse to protect oneself through distance, distrust, or cynicism. The warmth of shared growth, the satisfaction of guiding and being guided, always supersedes the cold comfort of self-preservation.
The Modern Paradox: Connection Without Closeness
Paradoxically, while the internet has made us more connected than ever, it has also made us more distant. People often need to be pulled up, by their shoelaces, by encouragement, by a simple “come on” email, or even a virtual call saying, “You can do this.” Particularly as somewhere along the virtual journey, we’ve lost sight of gratitude’s quiet power, that humble practice of acknowledging those whose shoulders we stood upon. Never forget the power of saying thank you to those who helped you climb your personal mountaintop.
When people succeed, the first thing they should do is acknowledge those who guided and believed in them. Gratitude is the invisible thread that binds mentorship to integrity. Without it, even the brightest success loses its light.
A Season of Gratefulness
Ultimately, this is a season — and indeed a state of mind — of gratefulness. Gratefulness for our lives and careers, and for the people who have walked beside us in this beautiful dance of giving and receiving.
I too have been fortunate to enjoy working with my own mentees — bright, passionate individuals at the beginning of their journeys. I’ve learned to give more, to advise more, and most importantly, to trust more — and to judge less. I’ve come to see that mentorship is not only about shaping others, but also about continually shaping oneself. Where I can, I take it as a personal responsibility to guide others — to offer a hand, a word of encouragement, or a bit of wisdom to help them in their careers.
Look around you. Consider the people you enjoy working alongside. Look for those with whom there is mutual respect. And this Christmas, perhaps reach out to help someone — or approach someone who might be willing to help you. You may be surprised at how one simple act of connection can light up both your path and theirs.
