The Interns are in the office for their first day of orientation and I can see the hungry look in the eyes of several colleagues who can’t wait to spread the work load wealth around.

Admittedly, I can’t wait either, but before I transform into the Duke of Delegation, I’m going to take a few personal vows for the semester. Feel free to adopt a few of them yourself.

1. I promise to explain to my intern not only the task at hand but also the greater context.
2. ** I promise to always say Thank You.
3. I promise to resist the urge give my intern a project JUST because I don’t feel like doing it.
4. I promise to remember what it was like to be an intern.
5. ** I promise to engage my intern in at least one higher-level conversation about their career goals and greater mission in life.
6. I promise to provide my intern with regular feedback.
7. I promise to take my intern out for coffee or lunch just because.
8. I promise to hold my intern accountable and not just gloss over mistakes because they are an intern.
9. I promise to keep professional development in mind and teach my intern something valuable.
10. **I promise to make an effort to make my intern’s experience BETTER than my own.