I believe that Big Brothers Big Sisters represents one of our country’s greatest mentorship enterprises. The simple concept of pairing a veteran voice with a young spirit has helped develop strong leaders, and even more mentors. Indeed, according to one Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter director, mentor-supported kids have a 95% high school graduation rate, even if they attend schools whose general rates are half that. “This is a life thing, not a job thing,” Carlos Lejnieks, president and CEO of BBBS’ chapter in Newark, New Jersey, told McKinsey.

Mentorship works. Everyone in business knows (or should know) this, and studies prove it. According to MentorcliQ, Fortune 500 companies with mentoring programs performed 53% better than those without. Deloitte found that Millennials with mentors planned to stay with their employers for more than five years more often than those without mentors. MentorcliQ also found that companies with mentorship programs rank higher on the Fortune 500 list than those without.