Who is your mentor? Most of us know someone who will happily pass on advice and guidance based on their own experiences, which is basically what a mentor does. And if such a person possesses specialist skills or knowledge, then so much the better.

Oscar-winning actor, Kevin Spacey cites Jack Lemmon as one of his mentors, while Gwyneth Paltrow makes the same claim of Madonna, and in the world of football, Kevin Keegan was mentored by his then manager (at Liverpool), Bill Shankly. Having a mentor, however, is not a privilege bestowed only upon the rich and famous; in the workplace mentoring is increasingly seen as a useful tool in aiding personal development.

The origin of the word 'mentor' lies in that epic work, The Odyssey by Homer. When Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan War, he leaves his kingdom in the hands of the wise and trusted Mentor, who serves as teacher and guide to Odysseus's son, Telemachus. The modern day mentor acts in much the same way, providing support, advice and guidance to someone with less experience (incidentally, if you have a mentor, this makes you a mentee, although the term client is also used. A mentor is neither a teacher nor a coach, but someone with a distinct role in encouraging the development of a less experienced employee. The function of the mentor is geared more towards developing potential than teaching skills.

For example, a pupil taking one-to-one guitar lessons is taught how to play chords and practise scales, but when his tutor tells him how to care for his instrument, or how, from his own experience, he tackled a bout of nerves when playing to an audience for the first time, he is transformed from tutor to mentor.

It is this passing on of personal experiences that sets mentoring apart from other development strategies, such as coaching, with which it is often confused. The mentor is usually older and always more experienced than his or her client, and the mentor/mentee relationship tends to be a long-term project, with as much emphasis on support as any other factor. Unlike coaching, which seeks to improve the skills and knowledge of an employee so that they may perform better, the long-term nature of mentoring allows a relationship to develop, and the result of this is that support and guidance can be tailored to suit the needs of the client. This intimacy also allows the mentor to deliver frank assessments and detailed constructive criticism where needed.

But what makes a mentor? Again, the examples given at the start of this article are not typical; being successful in what you do is not a pre-requisite to becoming a mentor. Anyone can do it, providing they have the necessary skills, and the time and commitment to pass on their experience to others. There is little or no financial reward, but the mentor gains satisfaction and a sense of worth by passing on their expertise and watching the development of their clients.

A good mentor could be a valuable asset to your career. Some of the benefits of having a mentor include increased confidence and self-awareness, more focus on career goals, and a wider network of influence. If you feel that your career development would benefit from the support of a mentor, then you should investigate the subject further. After all, the three mentees mentioned at the start of this article, Messrs Spacey, Paltrow and Keegan, haven't done too badly for themselves.