Life Lesson 8 –Mentoring

You can probably look back at defining moments in your life, moments that made you who you are, and associate them with a person. I have always valued the importance of being mentored. My first and most important mentors were my parents and grandparents of course. They gave me confidence, faith, a sense of being safe and strength. Beyond my family though I can distinctly remember people in my life who made me who I am today, some did not even realize at the time that they were shaping a young mind and giving me tools I would use as a friend, a business women, a wife and a mother. It is amazing how I still have things that they have told me pop into my head at certain moments and how I truly take that unsolicited advice to heart. A few that have shaped who I am today:

My first boss (at my first after college job) gave me a lot of the strength that I have today in business. He saw potential in me and took the time not only teach me the business but he also explain the oh so important reasons behind the decisions we made. This is important because anyone can teach someone the fundamentals of Marketing but a truly good boss and mentor will explain the “gut” reasons you apply one over another. A good boss will take the time to explain office politics and help you create a career path for yourself. He probably will never know how influential this was and how I apply the same teaching style of management in my role today. I asked him once what he liked most about his job and he replied “the ability to effect change”. To this day I live by that mantra in business, when I can no longer effect change it is time to move on. I am very lucky working at the dynamic company that I am at now as I am able to manage and teach and to effect change on a daily basis.

Another mentor to me has been my current boss, she has of course taught me fabulous business skills but more importantly she has been a role model for me in being a working mom. I started at my current company 5 years ago; I was not married yet, still in the growth phase of life as I like to call it. There were still days I was hung-over at work and I was enjoying the heavy travel schedule that my job required. I thought nothing of 2 weeks in China; I thought nothing of back to back sales meetings. But during all of this driven career positioning, traveling and fun I spoke to my boss who was with me, rooming with me usually on the road and I listened. I asked if it was hard to leave her kids and husband. I missed my boyfriend (now my husband) of course but I knew for her adding the kids to the scenario it must be very difficult. She told me that when she travels she makes sure she works hard but makes time to call home at specific and important times like when they get home from school to see how their day was. Most importantly though, when she is home she is PRESENT. I have said this through my blog and on twitter because it is so worth repeating. Now that I have a daughter I know what she meant. If you need to be away sometimes when you are home you need to BE HOME and be 100% wife and mother. Those words resonate.

Having been given all of this advice and mentoring I feel very strongly that I need to “pay it forward” being a mentor to the young people that work for me is extremely important. I teach, I support and I am tough. They always know where they stand with me and I feel that is crucial to give them the confidence to share ideas. I teach let them know why I make decisions and why I may have said something specific in a meeting. When it comes time for any of them to be a parent I will also give them what my boss gave me. I will give them the strength to know that kids cry when you leave but they are resilient and they know you will be back. If you have ever left your child with a babysitter or at daycare you know they cry for about 2 minutes after you leave and then they play.

It is never too late to be mentored or too early to be a mentor. Listen to people you respect, ask questions and learn from them. Teach people that look up to you, don’t just tell them what to do, show them. Make a difference in someone’s life and let someone make a difference in yours.
Driven Chick
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http://www.drivenchick.blogspot.com/