Last year we profiled David McGhee as the first Insider for BlackGivesBack’s Black Men and Boys Series. At the time, David was program director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Flint, and he shared tips for mentoring young black males. Today he is a professor and founder of 16th Letter Consulting, a nonprofit and leadership development consulting firm.
David recently had the opportunity to be a contributor for The National Urban League's 2013 State of Black America Report: Redeem the Dream on the subject of mentoring. His essay, Mentoring Matters: Why Young Professionals and Others Must Mentor was written to promote the positive benefits of mentoring.
He states, “Mentoring, in its purest form, is having the ability to be proactive in our personal and professional relationships, not just reactive. The goal was to let readers know that mentoring isn’t something that is nice, it is something that is necessary. As you know, mentoring has the power to change the trajectory of human life – from the fortune 500 corner offices, to the neighborhood corner in Flint, Michigan. While we know that our own education and insight takes us to great heights, having a mentor helps one see, and achieve, that much more. Mentoring, in essence, is one of the highest forms of leadership; the type of leadership that calls for us to think beyond ourselves.”
Read David’s essay here (begins on page 162) and connect with him by visiting www.davidmcghee.org and follow on Twitter @DavidRMcGhee.