Our industry does a lot of hand-wringing about how we're facinga talent drain and a dearth of viable job candidates in the market.We all know the numbers: the frequently cited 2010 studyby McKinsey says 20% of the current insurance industryworkforce is near retirement, and the number will be up to25% by 2018. Conventional wisdom says that insurance is a dullfield that bright young people shun. All of this in spite of themany formal recruitment and mentoring programs that are outthere.

But a recentarticle by blogger Eric Barker got me to thinking aboutthis in a totally different way—from the young person'sperspective.

If we want young people to become successful in an industry rifewith possibilities, we can't do it with another cut-and-driedprogram: We need to be mentors.

Mentors aren't just empty suits in the corner office, phoning itin. They are teachers, leaders, and confidantes, and theirrelationship with their protege is personal.

Barker approached the subject by starting backward: looking atthe background of some of the most successful people in the world.In spite of their differences, virtually all of these movers andshakers had had an important mentor in their lives by the time theywere college aged—whether it was a teacher, a coach, or a higher-upat a job.

Barker boils down a mentor's job to three requirements:

1) They give objective career guidance, includingsuggestions on assignments or an advantageous careerpath.

2) They provide emotional support when times get tough,such as recommendations on work/life balance or how to deal with adifficult boss.

3) They act as an effective role model, demonstratingappropriate behaviors for different situations.

Young people in today's workforce are a lot more challenged thanwe ever were. Jobs are at a premium, with roughly three applicantsfor every open position. Many new employees are carrying heavystudent loans. If they're ambitious and excited about advancing inour industry, we owe them more than a rubber-stamped training andmentoring experience. After all, these are the people who ideallywill one day be running your business.

Think back to your own career. Did you have someone at one ofyour earliest jobs who encouraged you, took an interest in you,showed you the ropes? You probably did.

Now it's time to return the favor. And don't think fobbing themoff on a formal “mentoring program” set up at your agency or one ofyour insurers is enough. Barker had this to say about these:

Unfortunately, recent research has revealed that those in formalmentoring programs often fail to deliver on their rosy promises,and the participants may be left helpless and disillusioned.Possible reasons for this include a shoddy formal mentoring programstructure, a matchmaking system that mimics blind dates from hell,or simply inadequate resources or rewards to support theseprograms.

Today's young people are proactive and research-savvy, andBarker encourages them to take matters into their own hands anddirectly approach someone they look up to—in other words, to bypassthe formal programs and seek out their own mentors. Ideally, thesewould-be mentors should fit the protégé's career goals, avoiding“someone who reminds you of a courteous waiter,” someone who“scares you a little,” who loves teaching fundamentals, ideallysomeone older who has seen it all.

I won't go into details, but Barker does, outlining exactly howpotential proteges should approach their ideal mentors via referralor email (respect their time, ask good questions, establish commonground), how to act during the face-to-face meeting, and how tonurture the relationship that will hopefully develop.

I don't know about you, but I would be flattered as hell if somepromising up-and-comer approached me to be their mentor. (Come on, guys, bring it on, and extra points if you like dogs,trad jazz and horror movies.)

This isn't meant to denigrate any of the fine formalsponsorship, mentoring and training programs out there, becausethere are many. I'm sure your own agency has one of its own,whether it's highly structured and measurable, or a simple pairingup of compatible old-timers and newbies. But all of us have apersonal stake in perpetuating our business, whatever that businessis. Extending a hand to an enthusiastic young person will benefitboth of you.