I firmly believe that to whom much is given, much is required. As a corporate executive, it is important to share your talents, counsel, and knowledge with those who are less experienced.

I consider it a privilege and an honor for someone to want to stand on my shoulders to reach the top. In my own career, I credit a great deal of my success to those who were willing to allow me to stand on their shoulders. Those individuals were willing to coach, support, and guide me in my professional and personal endeavors. Whenever I have an opportunity to mentor, I reflect back on the experiences that enabled me to progress in my career, and I willingly make the time to support others in their progression.

The best career advice that I ever received came from a mentor who stressed the importance of creating networks both inside and outside the workplace. when people are early in their careers, they often tend to limit their involvement to work activities and neglect to participate in community or civic activities. as time passes, this will prove to be a career mistake. Many of the relationships created outside work can actually make you more effective and influential in your current role. In addition, you grow personally and professionally when you give back to a cause and organization in which you are genuinely interested.

In addition to encouraging professionals to build internal and external networks, I also encourage them to become and to utilize mentors. Mentorship provides great opportunities and benefits for both parties. when you mentor others, you not only gain new information and insight about their background and experiences, but you also can increase your internal network and potentially reenergize your career. The most important benefit of mentoring is that it helps you build your personal brand—and that’s powerful.