It used to happen around water coolers and over hastily grabbed lunches. Occasionally you might glean some insight by attending professional conferences. If you were lucky, you could sometimes find someone at the office willing to take some of his or her productive time and invest it in you. Usually, you hunted and pecked and were grateful for any piece of valuable wisdom you might get.

Career guidance. Most professionals want it, but few have the time to give it readily. Yet it is a valuable part of passing on industry wisdom and developing up-and-coming talent.

Today mentoring has become a vital component of the plans of some companies and organizations to insure their ongoing success. Since the 1990s, the giving of advice and guidance by trusted counselors or teachers to young professionals has become a mainstream corporate practice. And beginning professionals are benefiting from the new opportunities "official" mentoring brings to their career paths.

Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Atlanta started an official mentoring program in the early 90s. Heather Rich, project manager with Leapley Construction Company and this year's vice president of leadership development for CREW Atlanta, participated in the program last year. "It was an incredible experience for me and I learned a lot about the industry," she notes. "I also learned that many of the experiences and feelings I had of being new and younger in the industry were not unusual." As the director of this year's program, Rich comments: "Our leadership development program is divided into two segments. The first is the mentoring program and there are seven pairs of professionals participating in the program this year." Mentors and younger professionals sign up for 1-year commitments and are matched up by job description and segments of the industry. "There is a kick-off session where the pairs are introduced to each other, but the structure of their relationship throughout the year is up to them," says Rich.

The second component of the program offered by CREW Atlanta is the Leadership Program. "There are 20 women CREW members enrolled in the program this year. It is a seven month program with monthly sessions and two weekend retreats." Rich says meetings focus on developing skills and insights needed to manage a multi-faceted and multi-focused life. Some topics of discussion this year were spiritual mindfulness and simplifying life in the workplace. "Women in the program form a community that supports each member in succeeding professionally and personally," says Rich, "and this has a positive effect on their careers."

Karen Burkhart Dick, executive vice president of Ackerman & Company, reflects on the value of the CREW programs. "More than anything [in my career], CREW's programs have been good for networking and getting advice on various issues as well as in developing professional relationships and friendships." Gloria Waddell, Ackerman & Company's vice president of leasing, also participated in the CREW Atlanta Leadership Program. "It was invaluable to focus on the basic skills taught in this course: fairness, being an idea person, learning to be a strategic thinker, developing empathy and being an activator that gets things done."

Mentoring does not just benefit the recipient. "I have mentored many people through teaching classes," says Marjy Soens Stagmeier, managing director of The TransInvest Group. "It has been extremely rewarding to be a mentor, and I have consistently sought out mentors throughout my career. By teaching, we also learn."

Although trade associations led the way in the development of official mentoring programs, several forward-thinking companies have incorporated the mentoring philosophy into their corporate cultures. Edens & Avant encourages its senior managers to actively mentor their staff members. "We require our senior managers to spend a lot of one-on-one time with their team members," says Jodie McLean, chief investment officer. "It is an excellent way to cultivate careers and escalate experience levels." Susie Rice, president of RMC/Konover, encourages members of her team to be open to mentoring opportunities outside of, as well as inside of, the company. "The value of mentoring in one's career is invaluable," she says. Throughout her career, Rice has checked in with peers on at least a monthly basis and she feels it has made a significant difference in her knowledge and confidence.

Terranova Corporation of Miami has an active in-house mentoring and training program. Beth Azor, president, reports that Terranova "spends a significant amount each year on training programs. Younger members of the team have mentoring partners from year to year." Why spend all this time and energy and money in employee development? Azor replies, "Hiring well and training is the best way to grow."

In January 2000, Jones Lang LaSalle formed a diversity council composed of different levels of employees from various departments of the company. This program, initially piloted in the Chicago office, is now available in Atlanta. "One of the council's primary focuses is initiating a mentoring program for women and minorities," says Catherine Stephenson, chief operating officer and chair of the council. "Most senior leaders have volunteered to participate, and it has developed into a valuable in-house networking group." As the company designed its program, Jones Lang LaSalle utilized the services of a consulting company that specializes in designing and implementing mentoring programs. "As the program has evolved, we have found that mentoring goes beyond responding to earth shattering needs related to career decisions," says Stephenson. "Mentors also become good friends and coaches."

What if your corporation or the trade association in your area does not offer a mentoring program? Female executives encourage young professionals to focus on finding "unofficial" mentors through networking. "The most important component in my career development has been networking," says Brett Womack, principal with Divaris Real Estate. For Ray Uttenhove, senior vice president with CB Richard Ellis -- Retail Services Division in Atlanta, developing friendships in the industry has provided her with valuable mentoring. "It is important that we learn from each other and that we share our experience and knowledge." Robbie Whyte, president of Whyte-Kerner Environmental Graphics and Design, agrees that mentors are important sources of guidance and information and can also be invaluable role models for developing success-enhancing skills. "Mentors not only help you develop your career, they also help you decide how you want to lead others when your time comes to do so."

Charlotte Ellis, senior vice president of marketing for Konover Property Trust, encourages younger women professionals to take advantage of the experiences of women executives. "It is important to understand that women contribute something different to the workplace and that they bring a different set of strengths to the table," she says. "The importance of networking with other women to develop these strengths cannot be understated."

To professionals beginning their careers, mentoring seems to be a valuable and sought out part of professional development. "I purposefully sought out a mentor and chose to work with a company because of the chance to work with a particular mentor," says Stacey Law, broker with NAI/Brannon Goddard in Atlanta. Mindy McElroy, commercial associate with Terranova Corporation also believes in the power of mentors and has utilized them to jump-start her career. "Networking and mentoring can help guide you to opportunities that are not readily apparent."

As women climb to more powerful positions, and take on the responsibility of making more strategic and far-reaching financial decisions, the need for guidance, and the expectations about benefits to be gained from mentoring relationships, are changing. During a recent CREW workshop in Atlanta, best-selling author Dr. Joan Borysenko stressed the importance of alliances among women. "Women develop a sense of self by talking with other women. For women in the workplace, it is important to find other female confidants with whom we can talk things over." Dr. Borysenko, author of numerous best-selling books on health, healing and women's issues, is a strong proponent of networking among women. She advocates a spirit of camaraderie rather than one of competitiveness. "Competition is a more male-oriented trait. Women become stronger by networking and supporting each other rather than competing with each other [in the marketplace]."

Connecting with women with common goals and life situations can also reduce the impact of one of the strongest adversaries to success in business and in life -- stress. "The importance of being a member of a close-knit supportive community has a great impact on the quality of a woman's life and health, even more so than some highly touted bad habits like smoking, poor eating, and, of course, stress." And for women, mentoring seems to be a more natural activity. "Women like to do things in groups and gain valuable information not just from words, but from faces and voices," Borysenko says. Participating in a professional community can help a woman achieve a higher career position and satisfaction than she might reach on her own.

Over the past decade, mentoring has become a commonly accepted vehicle for responsibly and efficiently imparting knowledge and supporting the growth of high standards in the industry. Today, mentoring is a mainstream resource for women professionals, and it is being supported and spearheaded by corporations and organizations. By participating in the development of up-and-coming professionals through established programs, or by just offering wisdom when the chance arises, seasoned professionals can participate in the growth of tomorrow's real estate leaders.

Karen Stone, CCIM, president of Stone Consulting Group, is a commercial real estate consultant and freelance writer based in Atlanta. She provides transaction management, due diligence and marketing services to the commercial real estate industry.

©2001 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.