How can mentorship help you navigate challenges as a new Strategic Communications manager?

1 What is mentorship?

Mentorship is a relationship between a mentor and a mentee, where the mentor provides guidance, feedback, support, and advice to the mentee, who is usually less experienced or new to a role or a field. Mentorship can be formal or informal, long-term or short-term, one-on-one or group-based, depending on the goals and preferences of both parties. Mentorship can help you develop your professional and personal skills, expand your network, gain insights, and advance your career.

3 How can you find a suitable mentor?

Finding a suitable mentor can be challenging, but not impossible. You can start by identifying your goals, needs, and expectations from a mentorship relationship. What do you want to learn? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What kind of feedback and support do you need? Then, you can look for potential mentors within or outside your organization, who have the skills, knowledge, and qualities that you admire and respect. You can ask for referrals, join professional associations, attend events, or use online platforms to connect with potential mentors. Once you find someone who is willing and able to mentor you, you can establish a rapport, communicate your goals and expectations, and agree on the frequency, duration, and format of your meetings.

4 How can you benefit from mentorship?

Mentorship can be incredibly beneficial if you are proactive, open-minded, and respectful. To get the most out of your mentorship relationship, it is important to prepare for your meetings. Have a clear agenda with questions or topics you want to discuss, share your progress and challenges, and ask for feedback or resources that can help you improve. Additionally, listen and learn from your mentor's successes and failures, while also seeking out opportunities to expand your network and experience. Finally, be sure to give feedback and appreciation to your mentor for their time and effort. Let them know what you appreciate about them, what you have learned from them, and how they have helped you grow.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?