48 - From Ancient Greece to Contemporary Success: The Unstoppable Rise of Mentorship

Blended

Today the panel will be talking about traditional mentorship and how it looks different across communities and contexts; the rise of reverse mentorship and its importance in intergenerational workforces; how to measure the success of mentor/mentee relationships and the common mistakes to look out for; and how to avoid the trap of seeking a mentor for the sake of it.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[01.40] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

· Dillon – Senior Consultant - People Consulting at EY

· Sandi – Owner/Lead Reconciliation Trainer/Consultant at Mishkwe Enterprises

· Sarah – Leadership Coach/Program Manager at Joyful Catholic Living LLC

· Jill – Material Program Manager at Raytheon

[06.32] The group discuss traditional mentorship: what it means, what it can look like, and why it’s so important.

“A traditional mentorship relationship would be pairing a senior person, who has a wealth of expertise in certain areas, with someone who’s junior or trying to make their way up the ranks and get that knowledge transfer.” Dillon

· Formal programs within a business

· Informal relationships

· Individuals connecting on a platform like LinkedIn, etc

· How mentorship changes during the course of your career

· How receptive you are to listening vs how willing people are to talk to you

· Influence/looking up to someone

· How mentorship looks different in different contexts

· Community

· Indigenous peoples:

o Intergenerational trauma

o Traditional mentorship community structure

o Finding your path

o Affinity with mentors/mentees

o Impact of removal of mentorship on community

o Internalized oppression

“For traditional indigenous communities’ mentorship was a given. And with residential schools, mentorship was lost and destroyed.” Sandi

· Personal and professional exploration

· Flattening of traditional career trajectories – moving horizontally, not just vertically

· Mentorship is not just about careers

· Understanding the ‘code of conduct’ of the environment you’re stepping into, so you’re more likely to be successful

· How culture changes what a mentor/mentee relationship looks like

· Responsibilities of mentors and mentees

· Mutual respect

· Impact of the pandemic

· Remote mentors

· Matchmaking

· Impact of personal life on work life

· Natural chemistry of choosing mentors from your own culture/identity

· Cross-cultural mentors

o Challenging yourself

o Identifying bias

“It allows for exploration; you can find your tribe… For underrepresented groups, there’s often a feeling of isolation within corporate environments, and mentorship breaks down that feeling… it makes people feel seen and protected.” Dillon

[42.18] The panel discuss how we measure the success of mentor/mentee relationships and share some of the common pitfalls or common mistakes to look out for.

“Define success before you even take one step! I can think of so many mentor/mentee relationships where the emphasis has been on the sharing of the information, not on what they do with it.” Sandi

· Time it takes for results to be realized

· Who is successful, why, what can you learn?

· Move away from judgement

· Observing the skills, habits and traits that work

· Avoid putting all focus on just finding a mentor

· Difference between coaching and mentoring

· Setting expectations

· Importance of common values

· Organic evolution of relationships

[52.00] The group explore the rapidly growing trend of reverse mentorship: how it works, how it’s different to traditional mentorship, and why it’s key for organizations to support and embrace both forms.

· Dillon’s own experience of reverse mentorship, and an insight into the program at EY

· Listen, learn, ask questions, challenge back

· Wisdom from different generations

· Building trust

· Respect

· Intent

“Humility builds bridges; egos burn them.” Sandi

[01.09.38] The panel discuss what we can learn from their discussion and share key takeaways.

“Believe in your own superpowers and see how that can be complemented by a potential mentor or mentee.” Dillon

· Patience

· Power of social media

· Work on your confidence

· Do the research

· Don’t put people on a pedestal

· Be prepared

· Honesty

· Creating safe spaces

· Empathy and humanity

· Structure and boundaries

· Transparency

· Discovering mentorship all around you, in different places

“Be very clear about ‘what is it I’m trying to learn?’ and ‘which ways am I trying to grow?’ … So, by the time you meet your mentor, it’s very clear you respect their time.” Sarah

[01.22.24] The group reflect on the pressure to find a mentor, and their key takeaways for individuals trying to tackle that pressure.

“My view of mentorship has evolved… Over time, I went from ‘I need to find a mentor’ to ‘I need to take control of my life and career.’” Sarah

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:

You can connect with Dillon, Sandi, Jill and Sarah over on LinkedIn.