SOUTHFIELD – Just over 30 ambitious professionals and their supporters gathered at IHS Automotive this month at a graduation ceremony from a mentoring program. The Michigan Council for Women in Technology and We Build Character 2014 Elevate mentees celebrated a year of hard work and professional growth.

The MCWT mentor program aligned women to other female mentors while the WBC Elevate Leadership program leverage established local CIO?s as mentors. Both programs shared similar values and structure to speed up the mentee and mentor relationship with a structured mentoring program.

The proud mentees networked with many of the established mentors and received leadership inspiration from the lineup of speakers on the agenda. Throughout the year, mentees completed many types of assignments and participated in a variety of learning workshops. Mentors and mentees met in person, virtually, and attended the Annual Midwest Technology Leaders Conference.

The leadership programs development a fruitful mentor and mentee relationship that lasts beyond graduation. It also brings focus to the mentee?s career advancement and exposes them to industry trends. The program fosters new talent and keeps competitive human resources across Michigan. This year the program recognized 31 people for program completion, but some received recognition for going above and beyond. From the Elevate CIO Class, Tom Luttrell was awarded Mentor of the Year and Bill Parker was given the Mentee of the Year award. From the MCWT mentor program, Sally Tuma was given the Mentor of the Year Award and Nicole Johnson was named Mentee of the Year.

Inspiration throughout the evening could draw on this common theme from Anthony Robbins statement that, ?life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.?

Tracy-Ann Palmer, founder of the We Build Character 501(c)3 non-profit, that runs both programs, shared her wisdom with the group.

?The next time you say to yourself, ?Why don?t they do something about that?? look in the mirror. Ask the person you see, ?Why don?t I do something about that?? By accepting the challenge to lead, you come to realize that the only limits are those you place on yourself,? she said.

The program included a keynote from leadership expert Johanne Edwards. She emphasized the importance of change, transition, and vision to the graduating mentees. Edwards reminds the audience to: “see people as they are, and they get worse. See people as they could be and they will grow into greatness.?

We Build Character is a not-for-profit organization focused on growing and strengthening the Michigan workforce through powerful executive mentoring programs. The Mentoring programs build a diverse network of leaders resulting in a powerful ripple effect of inclusion throughout the community.

The idea of mentoring and being mentored are both critical to a career growth and data backs up that claim. According to Price Water House in 2011, the ROI for companies that invest in coaching is 7 times the initial investment. Also, a report from Scales in 2012 shows that organizations with a career development program demonstrate up to 250% higher productivity. The benefits for this time investment are clear. Another advantage for participants is from an infographic on the Chronus blog from May 2014 which shows that mentors and mentees are 20 percent more likely to get pay raises.

Jim Clark served as a mentor for the program in 2014 and says this about the growth in his mentee Bill Parker.

“I have witnessed significant growth from Bill during his time with the program, which is saying a lot, because he started from a point where he already had tremendous leadership and professional capabilities. He routinely referenced a connection between something he learned and how he was able to leverage what he learned to produce a better result than may have otherwise been the case. “

The program took the benefits to the community with a team community service project. This allowed the mentees to work together on a real philanthropic project and value giving back to the community. Beyond the mentor programs, WBC also hosts other leadership development opportunities for a thriving professional.

At the event, Laura Hewitt gave an update on the Alumni Boards’ progress. Alumni Character Elevation team is hard at work with WBC on developing the Alumni program and establishing the plan for 2015 to connect those involved long term.

Growing a career is a continuous process and can change as life unfolds. This mentoring opportunity under MCWT can be critical to attract and retain more women to the technology arena.

Many mentors and mentee benefitted from this successful 2014 Program Year and it will all start again for a new round of leaders in 2015. Mentor and Mentee applications are available online for the 2015 and are accepted until September 30.

To Learn more about We Build Character and Available Leadership programs click on WeBuildCharacter.Org