The Importance of Mentorship

By Lynn and Megan Torrel

Having a mentor is an important part of your career journey. Whether you are just starting your career and having someone that you can go to for what you think are simple or silly questions, or later in your career having that independent sounding board, a mentor plays an important part in your growth.

A mentor can help on your career journey by providing open and honest feedback on how you can differentiate yourself, help identify areas where you have room for improvement and with strategies on how to improve in those areas.

The two of us are at very different parts in our careers. One just starting (Megan) and the other a senior executive (Lynn). We both believe in the value of mentorship, and want to share our perspectives, and hopefully inspire you to seek a mentor for your career growth.

Finding a mentor

Megan: While in college, we had a little exposure to the idea of mentorship. In a couple of my classes, professors would bring up mentorship and how important it is to find somebody to help you out. I do think there is an opportunity to incorporate mentorship more into the curriculum either through interactions with alumni associations, or even offering a course on the subject.

My guidance counselor in college was first my mentor outside of my parents. She was very helpful in helping me decide on how I wanted approach my education and when it was time to start interviewing for potential jobs post-graduation, she was a tremendous help in my preparation.

I have been fortunate in my first job out of college, because every new hire is assigned a mentor. I was paired with Sri Mounika Vadrevu and she has been great in helping acclimate to the company and my role.

?Lynn: Being a lifelong learner and being open to opportunities is a key to finding a mentor. In my career I’ve had 8-9 mentors and many I am still in contact with today.

It is great that companies are now understanding the importance of mentorship and identifying it as a differentiator and a way to really accelerate learning and development. Back when I started in the workforce, it was a little bit more organic. Many of my initial mentors were my direct managers. If your company does not assign you a mentor, a great place to start is your direct manager.

But a mentor does not have to be from where you work or even in your industry. Look around you. It could be an aunt, an uncle, a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, or even a child. I’ll touch on that last idea later.

What to look for in a mentor

Lynn: Always look for someone you admire. Watch how people interact with other people, how they make the decisions, how they communicate within an organization, how they deal with the adversity. When you see someone who you admire, you want to learn from them and to have that same kind of attributes.? That’s the kind of person you want to be your mentor. You want them aligned with your core compass.

Megan: I'm very glad that Mounika was assigned to be my mentor, but I don’t just rely on her. I also see guidance from other colleagues. I am constantly asking them for feedback on what I can be doing better or allowing me to dry-run presentations with them.

I do have to be honest, it's hard when you're hearing the direct feedback at first. As a recent college graduate, it's not something you're used to because with teachers, most of your feedback is on a piece of paper and you can either choose to read it or not. But when it's your boss or somebody that you're directly asking feedback from, you have to listen to it and really take it to heart. It's hard at first, but I really appreciate when people are honest. I know I'm still learning. It can be difficult being 21 years old and talking to people who have been doing the same job for 20 plus years because they have so much more experience. But as my mom said, you look for those you admire, and they will be more than willing to help.

Understanding generational differences

Megan: I think mentors should know that my generation has a very different approach to many things. Mental health is extremely important amongst people my age. Having a mentor to talk about things that are difficult in the transition from college to working is very important. I had my parents to rely on heavily in the times where I thought I would not be able to do it, as well as Mounika sharing similar situations and telling me I am not alone in these feelings. Hearing that was beyond helpful.

I think having a mentor that can at least see the perspective of my generation is important. This also goes with my mom having to deal with systematic changes over her career that gear more towards my generation. For her to have my perspective and for me to have hers has really helped with dealing with situations that may not make sense to us at first.

Lynn: ?Megan has a very good point. She has educated me on the importance of acknowledging and prioritizing mental health for employees in her generation.? That was not something that was openly discussed when I started my career (quite the opposite) and I had to learn to be more comfortable and confident in having those discussions with my employees which Megan helped me to do.

I think people in Megan's generation should?always keep in mind that a mentor is volunteering their time to support their mentee in their career development.? As such, the mentee should prepare for any meeting with their mentor which?shows a respect and an acknowledgement of that time commitment.? That would?include (1) preparing an agenda for each meeting, (2) taking notes and capturing action items from each discussion and (3) providing a follow-up on any action item that was agreed with their mentor, i.e reading a book, taking a course, reaching out to another colleague, reviewing potential industry associations that would benefit the mentee. Approaching each discussion with a mentor prepared and with enthusiasm will be appreciated by the mentor and will be instrumental in building that relationship.

Mentoring and mutual learning

Megan: ?I have so much more respect for my mother than I did 10 years ago, especially now that I am out of college and working. When I was young, my mom traveled an insane amount. She would travel home from a place 16 hours away, be home for 12 hours, and then go to somewhere else 16 hours away. Despite this travel, somehow, she always made time for me and my brother.

As much as she has been a mentor to me through school, and now early in my career, I like to think I have been mentoring her as well.

Over the years, I’ve had numerous conversations with my mom about her work. She shares with me the successes and the challenges. I didn’t understand all the ins and outs of the challenges, but maybe that was a good thing. Because I did not have a background in what she was discussing, I approached the challenges much more simplistically. More than once my mom thought my feedback gave her much more clarity and changed her thinking about a solution.

Now that I am working, I find I am going to her more than her to me, which makes sense. I talk with her about work life balance issues, how to prepare for upcoming meetings, and how to deal with the stresses of work.

Lynn: ?Being a working mom, I have always strived for balance and prioritizing my family. It has not always been easy. I have often been asked by woman, especially young mothers, how I have created that balance. I share my experiences, but the one thing I always make certain to share is that they need to give themselves a break. Don’t try to be perfect, it is not possible. When you are home, be present and engaged. Your kids will remember that and not all the late nights you worked or business trips you went on.

As I mentioned earlier, your children can be one of your mentors. Megan has been one of my mentors. She keeps me grounded, especially in times of adversity. I see grace in how my children respond to situations, and I know that a big part of that comes from having a loving home with engaged parents.

Avoiding comparisons

Megan: I am very proud of my mom and where she is today in her career. I know you should not compare yourself to others, but I do like to look at what she was doing at my age and the decisions she was making in her life and career. I do this not to go down the exact same path, but to give me a different and broader perspective. If you just talk to people at your same level, you are missing out.

By looking at my mom’s life and career, it has been really helpful knowing that careers change, life changes, and she and my dad persevered through everything. Thinking about her career and her life and how plans changed, it has made me realize that one’s path is not set in stone.

Lynn: ?Admiring someone for their career I think is good. Comparing can be a bit of a challenge. I would never encourage someone to compare because everybody's life journey is so different.

Different opportunities come at you at different times and different circumstances that you're facing in your life. I always say to move forward and be bold in your decisions. A big differentiator in my career are the risks and chances I’ve taken. ?I've always done that with the support of my family and the advice from my mentors.

Say yes to opportunities. If something interests you, go after it even if you don’t think you are 100% qualified. That attitude has helped me immensely in my career.

Early in my career, when managers would ask for someone to lead an initiative, I would always raise my hand. When you do this, you become known as the person who's up for new opportunities, which can lead to exciting new roles.

A parting thought

The past four years has seen tremendous change. The way we work and the way we live will never quite be the same. We all hope it is for the better. But the one thing that has not changed is the importance of mentorship and the positive impacts it can have on the mentor and mentee. The following quote from Steven Spielberg sums it up best: “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

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