Mentorship is a well-known concept that is ubiquitous in organizations and frequently depicted in popular media (remember Master Yoda? “Do. Or do not. There is no try”). This is for good reason as mentors are the teachers, guides, and confidants who help us grow and reach our potential. In this episode, we discuss the research behind mentorship in the workplace. We outline some of the benefits of mentoring for mentees, the mentors themselves, and organizations. We also discuss some alternative forms of mentoring, such as sponsorship and “reverse mentoring”.      Timestamps: 1:28: What is mentorship? 3:20: Formal vs informal mentorship 6:23: Benefits of mentoring for individuals 10:02: Benefits of mentoring for organizations 11:27: How to get the most of your mentorship program 13:20: Alternatives to mentorship programs 24:45: This is Not Homework ­– What could you offer to others as a mentor?      Mentioned This Episode: HBR Article – Why Reverse Mentoring Works and How to Do It Right Reverse Mentoring: A Social Exchange Tool for Keeping the Boomers Engaged and Millennials Committed mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is "Looking Back” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).      Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!