John Kmitta Associate Publisher / Editorial Brand Director jkmitta @ epgacceleration . com 763-383-4405

The SFMA ’ s new mentorship program , and my conversations with Alpha Jones , CSFM , have me thinking a lot lately about mentorship and what it means to be mentee or mentor .

For many of us , our earliest mentors are parents , grandparents or other family members . My parents were 40 when I was born . Being that I was born in the 1970s , both of my parents were were born during the Great Depression . My dad — the only child of working-class Chicago parents — served in the United States Army and worked in sales from the late 1950s onward ( think Mad Men ). My mother hailed from a large farm family in rural Illinois , and is still one of the hardest workers I have ever known . No doubt influenced by their own backgrounds and experiences , they instilled in me and my older brothers a strong work ethic and family values .

My next set of mentors came in the form of teachers . When I graduated high school , I was torn between pursuing a career as an artist and comic-book illustrator or as a writer / journalist . Undecided and taking classes in art , writing and journalism during my first year of college , I was influenced toward a career in journalism by two different teachers . One was a published author of fiction and nonfiction , while the other was an established journalist and film critic . Both saw something in my work , and took the time to meet with me and help me to hone my skills .

The author once gave our class an example of what he felt was a wellwritten paper . To me , the language seemed overly flowery , but I tried to match that style because I thought it would score high . Instead , he gave me a “ C ” on my next paper , but met with me after class and told me that writing style — while it worked for the author of the example — is clearly not me . He said , “ Write what you know , and write it in your own voice . People will see through it otherwise .”

In my professional career , one of my biggest mentors was an editor named John Hughes . He took time most days to review my work , discuss changes , challenge me to think and ensure my adherence to the stylebook . I still carry those lessons with me in every article I write and every issue I edit .

While I am still learning from others , I am also a mentor . Whether to my own children or to younger work colleagues , I try to take what I have learned from others and pass it along . For me , being a mentor isn ’ t about doling out wisdom as though I have all the answers ; but rather being someone who leads by example and who others know they can turn to for advice and support .

Mentor or mentee , be a good listener no matter your role in the relationship . And remember to always be you — people will see through it otherwise . SFM

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