By Gina Blitstein

Mentorship can have many faces. There are formal mentorships where you either seek a mentor or a mentor seeks you through a program specifically designed to match up beneficial relationships. Then there are more casual mentorships which develop naturally and spontaneously which are of different - yet equal - benefit to their participants.

Here is the story of one such casual - yet meaningful - mentorship between two dynamos, Selena Cuffe and Lillian Lambert.

Lillian Lambert is Harvard Business School's first black woman graduate. In the course of her career, Lillian built her Centennial One, Inc. into a $20 million empire. Selena Cuffe is President and CEO of Heritage Link Brands, the first company to import and distribute black-produced African wines and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School herself.

These two businesswomen met three years ago at a Harvard Business School conference. It was there that the two successful women struck up a relationship based upon the commonalities of family and career. Soon they developed a casual mentor/protege relationship revolving around their mutual experiences managing the roles of business owner and mother.

Through her interaction with Lillian, Selena says she has learned these lessons which are proving vital to her success by keeping her focused in her career and life:

• Make family as much a priority as business. Lillian says from experience you can have success in both so long as one doesn't overshadow the other.
  
• Reach out for help and guidance. No one can do everything alone. Get the help you need to succeed.
  
• Always remain down to Earth, no matter the scope of your success. Remember everyone is human - even you!

Lillian taught Selena these lessons by her graceful example, giving generously of her time and experience. She provides a sounding board for Selena's ideas and advice for her problems. Her insights are credible to Selena because she has been there, working a business and raising a family...and doing it with great aplomb! Lillian has inspired Selena with the trail she blazed over 35 years ago. Thanks to the path she and many courageous others paved, Selena is thankful for a reasonably smooth road to success, free of racial or sexist discrimination.

In Selena's opinion, a mentoring relationship is unique in that, as opposed to more formal learning situations, she feels free to be completely honest with even her deepest feelings. Due to the depth of intimacy and trust which develops, it is easier to expose vulnerabilities that in other situations may be interpreted as weaknesses. That intimacy goes both ways so don't underestimate the importance of the protege to the mentor. Lillian has written her memoir in a book due out in January, 2010, and to Selena's complete surprise, not only asked for her opinion on its readability, but mentions her protege with pride within its pages.

What should you look for in a mentor? Selena says to keep your mind and heart open for those with whom you share a kinship and common ground. This will facilitate that fluid communication which will set a strong foundation for learning and growth. Selena says she will always cherish and be inspired by Lillian's continued mentorship. It is important to always be on the lookout for those who can provide you with their valuable insights and benefit of their experience.

Selena "pays it forward" too, by being a mentor herself. From the vantage point of having benefited from a mentoring relationship herself, she knows how important it is to a protege's success. Continuously learning from her mentor and teaching her proteges, Selena has the advantage of knowing the whole gamut of the mentoring experience.

Mentorship is a valuable asset to a professional's career and overall success. Sometimes being a success is learning how to make all the aspects of your life work in conjunction with each other. Who better to teach that lesson than one who has done it herself!