Mentor Me Mentor You

In any industry, for any position, there can be mentors. In fact, structured or unstructured mentorship can lead you to a pathway of success.

Mentorship comes in many forms. In many larger organizations, there are structured Mentorship Programs. Employees apply for both the Mentor and the Mentee position. Not everyone is chosen who applies and there has to be a good fit between the two. These programs are largely run through the vast Human Resources division of the company. There is accountability on both sides and it is run for specific time intervals with checkpoints for progress.

A more natural or unstructured mentorship may be a part of a manager or leader role. At times, these relationships develop out of synergistic flows between colleagues at various levels or in divergent specialty areas. An employee can voice interest in someone else’s role and take time to research, question, and shadow behavior to learn as much as possible. Not every leader is willing to unofficially mentor, some may just not have the time. Identifying the right mentor is just as critical as identifying the area in which you want to learn more.

I have been on both sides of the Mentor role in my corporate career. My first boss took me under his wing as they say, and helped me learn the technical and nontechnical side of commercial relationship banking. He was critical to my success. I am forever thankful to him for his time, patience, insight, and willingness to share.

As a result, any time I came across a colleague who wanted to know more, to learn more, to be more, it was important to me to help them in any way I could. And I had that opportunity with at least 3 younger colleagues. All are very successful and have made and continue to make their mark in the banking community. I am very proud of them and am privileged to have been but a cog in their wheel of success.

You can never stop learning and you can never stop mentoring. It is a very fulfilling effort. And if their success alone does not make you happy, perhaps your mentees will show appreciation for your mentoring in the form of chocolates, flowers, books, beverages, or just an old fashioned hand-written thank you card.

Always be on the lookout to learn or to teach. The road of your career may always provide an opportunity to be a follower or a leader.

Be well.