National Mentoring Day takes place every year on 27th October.  The day was established in 2014 and was inaugurated as an official national day in the Houses of Parliament in 2016.  The Day looks to celebrate and support mentoring, educate everyone about the value of mentoring and connect mentors and mentees.

As we look to mark National Mentoring Day, we wanted to reflect on the power of mentoring by celebrating some famous mentors and mentees, to demonstrate the power of mentoring.

Oprah Winfrey was mentored by author and poet, Maya Angelou.  Oprah reportedly said about Maya: “She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life”.

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg was mentored by former Apple Chief Executive, Steve Jobs.  When Jobs died, Zuckerberg posted: “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend.  Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world.”

Fashion designer Christian Dior mentored fellow designer Yves St. Laurent.  The editor of French Vogue introduced St Laurent to Dior.  St Laurent said: “Dior fascinated me.  He taught me the basis of my art.  I never forgot the years I spent at his side.”

A 16 year old Ray Charles met 14 year old Quincy Jones in Seattle in 1948.  They bonded over their shared love of music and became the best of friends.  Jones was inspired by Charles’s success and strength in overcoming his blindness and learnt much from Charles, particularly in musical arrangement, which was to be a key skill for Jones’s future career.  The relationship was a two-way street, but Jones cited Charles as one of his early and most lasting alliances, emphasising Charles’s role as a mentor.

Former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi said that she looked for mentors in all aspects of her life: “I’m a product of great mentoring.”  She credits the mentoring she received from people around her for helping her break glass ceilings in business.

Warren Buffett is considered one of the most successful investors of the twentieth century. But his success has been guided by the influences of three remarkable men who served as his mentors: Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher and Charlie Munger.  Graham, who was known as the Dean of Wall Street, taught Buffett about value investing using analysis, independent thinking and having an indifference to market fluctuations.  Fisher taught Buffett about the importance of looking at the detail of the business in which you are investing, to understand their systems, management and growth potential. Fisher’s investment strategy was long term – ‘buy and hold’.  Munger referred to his investment strategy as “sit on your ass investing”!  He taught Buffett even more about the importance of long term investments.

Over the years Warren Buffett’s investment approach has completely changed from hunting for cheap, mediocre companies to paying a fair price for a fantastic company.  This evolution demonstrates Buffett’s open-mindedness and willingness to learn from his mentors. As a result of Buffett’s success, many have identified him as their mentor.  This includes Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates.  Gates met Buffett at a dinner organised by Gates’ mother, where they spoke about business and philanthropy.  Gates has admitted that over the years he has turned to Buffett for advice on various subjects.

Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson benefitted from mentoring from airline entrepreneur Sir Freddie Laker.  Branson asked Sir Freddie for guidance during his struggle to get Virgin Atlantic off the ground.  Branson said: “It’s always good to have a helping hand at the start. I wouldn’t have got anywhere in the airline industry without the mentorship of Sir Freddie Laker.” Virgin Atlantic named one of its aircraft ‘The Spirit of Sir Freddie’.

These examples of famous mentors and mentees demonstrate that no matter where someone is in their career or life, there is a benefit to continual learning, development, networking and mentoring.

At WUN our mentors may not necessarily be famous but there impact on women across utilities has been immense – read some of the WUN mentee testimonials