We never stop needing role models.

That notion has been around since forever, and it’s just as true today as it was in ancient Greece. In mythology, Mentor was a friend of the Greek king of Ithaca, Odysseus, who was known as Ulysses in Latin. When Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, needed to drop a hint to Odysseus, she would take the form of Mentor to do it.

Mentoring, as we know it, is hardly mythology. It is a time-honored tradition of helping the next generation of leaders reach their potential.

January is National Mentoring Month, the perfect time to show that we care with the knowledge that we share. Mentoring is a win-win situation. Just remember to be a mentor, not a tormentor.

To mentor effectively, we have to command more than just technical expertise. We also have to master the principles of human nature. We have to be able to detect what makes people tick and what unique capabilities they have.

When I enrolled at the University of Minnesota, professor Harold Deutsch was my academic adviser. He played a role in helping me mature. I took professor Deutsch’s class on the history of World War II. He had been one of the interpreters at the Nuremberg Trials. To say he made history come alive would be an understatement. He did not teach history; he was part of history. He was a wonderful mentor to me and made me realize how important it is for everyone to have a mentor in life.

Professor Deutsch and my golf coach at the University of Minnesota, Les Bolstad, were both great mentors. They taught me how to stay focused and to set realistic goals. They also taught me the art of persuasion, leadership and visualization. A mentor will often help shape fine distinctions in the mind of the protege or mentee. These are refinements that the mentee couldn’t even imagine beforehand.

I’ve learned from multiple mentors throughout my career. Fortunately, I’ve been able to select mentors at various times as I have advanced. The following list of seven criteria has been useful in helping me do so:

1. What major leadership or business trades are my foremost business shortcomings right now?

2. What networking voids do I have and who could mentor me to overcome them?

3. Who has a basic chemistry compatible with mine, but is playing the game I’d like to play one or two levels higher?

4. Who has the skillset and success level I’d like to enjoy five years from now?

5. Who is very much like me, but seems to have an easy time doing what I find hard to do?

6. Who has a powerful need to teach what I need to learn?

7. What can I offer a potential mentor in exchange for their dedication, time and trust?

On the other side of the desk, being a mentor is a tremendous responsibility, as well as an opportunity to return the favor to those who have pulled you along. Mentors push people toward the broader, bigger goals.

I’ve been asked, “What do I get out of mentoring?” There’s the enormous satisfaction of helping others, but there’s also the test of sizing people up quickly. How sharp is your eye for talent? How could this person help build my network in an important way? Can I crosslink this individual to others in my network, so that the connections benefit everyone involved? Could this individual give me valuable, personalized intelligence about a company or sector of the market?

What can this individual teach me about skills or work challenges that are totally unknown to me? Provided I am a successful mentor, how can this person bring my messages and ideas to new audiences? How can I distill all my lived experience and advise this person? What can I say that will make a life-changing impression? At what moment, in what place, in what way can I say it that will be unforgettable?

As successful business leaders, we owe it to the next generation to help them achieve their full potential. It’s a privilege. Don’t take it lightly.

Mackay’s Moral: A mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.

A recruiter asked a job candidate, “Why did you leave your last job?”

The job applicant replied, “It was something my boss said.”

“What did he say?”

“You’re fired.”

This person definitely needs a copy of my new book, “Getting a Job Is a Job,” which comes out Jan. 5. In it, I focus on bouncing back after being fired, dealing with rejection and the emotions people feel after losing a job. And I explain why you can’t take it personally.

The book is chockful of helpful hints on not only getting a job but landing the job you want. Job hunting is a contact sport. You might have to work eight days a week. Networking is very important, and it’s even harder during a pandemic. But there are still effective ways to get out there. Be visible. Keeping a low profile is for people ducking bullets. With LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms, networking has never been easier. The key is to use social media properly.

I would highly recommend you check out Sam Richter, president of SBR Worldwide, at samrichter.com. He has taught me how to take the cold out of cold calling by using the internet to find important information on the people you might be interviewing with or the decision-makers at companies.

The Mackay 66 Customer Profile, which I wrote about in my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” has never been more important. You need to learn about what your prospective employers are interested in and what turns them on. If you can do this well, your odds of landing a job will go up dramatically. The Mackay 66 is available free on my website, www.harveymackay.com.

And don’t overlook the importance of gatekeepers, the assistants who control access to the people you need to connect with. They are invaluable. Getting through the fence to the top dog is easy if you know the gatekeeper.

I share helpful information on resumes that help you resume employment, such as what terminology to use to describe your experiences that makes sense to both applicant-screening software and human readers.

Because many people have a section in their resume that is constantly questioned, there’s also a chapter on addressing chinks in your armor -- because flaws scar you the worst when you can’t or won’t explain them.

Do you have an elevator pitch? If not, you need to develop one that sizzles, and is dead accurate and crystal clear.

I also devote a lot of space to prepping for job interviews -- what questions to ask and what to listen for. Be perceptive, not contentious. Read the walls and desks. Even though you are not interviewing for a sales job, you are always selling yourself.

Second interviews are even more important. You should prepare rigorously. Recall topic threads from your earlier conversation to identify themes you can build on. Remember, the closer you get, the harder they’ll look.

If you get a job offer, know what you can and cannot negotiate. Do your homework to get superior information. Stay calm. Anticipate questions. Learn to be a spin doctor and finesse certain queries. The smartest thing you can do in any negotiation is to keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears wide open.

I conclude the book with a toolkit that includes the Mackay Sweet 16 for acing first impressions, the Mackay 44 Interview Checklist and the Mackay 22 Post-Interview Wrap Up.

Many people have lost their jobs due to the current pandemic, but this situation may present new opportunities. The famous British author W. Somerset Maugham told this story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London, who was fired when it was discovered he was illiterate.

Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he immediately prospered. He then opened another shop and another and soon owned a large chain of tobacco stores all over Britain.

One day he was dining in a fancy club with his banker who observed, “You’ve done quite well for an illiterate man. I wonder where you would be today if you could read and write.”

“That’s easy,” replied the man, “I’d still be the janitor in St. Peter’s Church.”

Mackay’s Moral: It bears repeating: Getting a Job Is a Job.

During the holidays, we are surrounded with messages about the power of joy. But why is joy looked at as only a seasonal thing? I think it should be lived year-round, and not just outside your professional life.

So where does joy fit in the business world?

“How we feel profoundly influences how well we perform at work and socially,” says my friend Randy Garn, managing partner at the High Performance Institute. “Research shows that joy is one of the best predictors of the good life we all strive to achieve.”

Popular opinion holds that joy is a result of being happy. I think that’s backward. Joy allows you to be happy. Happy feelings are temporary. Joy is much deeper than that. True joy is untouched by circumstance.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day,” said theologian Henri Nouwen.

Studies show joy can positively affect us physically and emotionally. The release of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in our brains increases feelings of elation and joy.

Poet laureate Maya Angelou said, “We need joy as we need air.”

Brendon Burchard, another good friend and the best-selling author of “High Performance Habits,” uses notification triggers as a way to remind him throughout the day to “bring the joy.” When going through his work routine, his alarm reminds him to bring positivity to his day.

I couldn’t agree more. We cannot wait for circumstances to bring us joy. We must make our own joy.

“Right now, there is so much negativity in the world,” Brendon says. “People are angry and complaining. If you don’t have joy, you can generate it by the way that you think and act. We are responsible for our emotions. It’s up to you to generate positive emotions, and joy is one of them.”

To incorporate joy in your life, Brendon cites four things that I’ll expand on:

1. We have to trigger happiness. My take: Happiness is a state of mind. So are anger, sorrow, disappointment and loneliness. The mind is the most powerful tool in the universe, but you are the one who controls it. Happiness is a powerful, addictive narcotic.

2. Use humor. I believe life is too short to be serious all the time. How dull our existence would be without the potential to see the lighter side of situations. And how hopeless, too! Humor often represents hope, that the worst is behind us and better things are coming. It also demonstrates that we are able to handle what life throws our way. Life isn’t always funny, but a sense of humor always helps.

3. Be helpful. In my opinion, helping people not only makes them feel better, but it also makes YOU feel better. It lifts moods and gives you a high similar to the endorphins you experience when running and competing in sports. People who do volunteer work and help others on a regular basis have a healthier outlook on life. They are more inclined to be go-getters and consistently report to be happier in life.

4. Appreciate and honor people. Give a compliment or thank someone. We all love to receive praise. Compliments do wonders for our sense of hearing. Everyone likes a pat on the back and a hearty “Well done!” Develop an attitude of gratitude.

A friend shared a wonderful message from his parish priest that helped him understand three things that might be getting in the way of a joyful life: self-pity, worry and complaining. These detractors are universal problems, not confined to any particular religion. If you recognize those tendencies in yourself, you can take action to eliminate them and make room for joy instead.

You have a choice, and I hope you can find the joy in your life not just during this holiday season but all year long. I promise you will notice the difference almost immediately. And so will those around you.

One of my favorite authors, Norman Vincent Peale, offered this gem: “Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.”

Mackay’s Moral: Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be filled with joy.