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“If I think about what have been the most important business and personal relationships to me, it’s been from people that have mentored me and people I have mentored.”

Mentoring is not a formal relationship. But Brown says these relationships can be more important than many official workplace associations. “Someone has a stake in your success and you have a stake in someone else’s and you have a real desire to see each other do well,” he said.

Brown tells young business leaders to seek out people at work, through volunteering, in professional associations, as well as community or religious groups.  Get to know the people you feel a connection with, and with the people who interest you. 

“If you’re looking for a mentor, I think in any group you join, you should be saying, ‘Who should I try to engage with?’, ‘Who can I learn from?’, ‘Who would I like to emulate in my career?’” he says.

You might have many mentors, but it’s vital to keep up with these relationships, spend time on them and be honest. As much as possible, make it a two-way street, listening to the other person and helping where you can.

Senior executives benefit from mentoring younger people as well. “You gain from the experience in terms of the people you know, the people you count as friends, the people that look out for your own family down the road,” he says.

Mentoring, he adds, “is a fabulously rewarding experience.”

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