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
Follow me on twitter @drivenchick
http://www.drivenchick.blogspot.com/

Hmmmm where should I start! - Life Lesson 1, Get Noticed at Work

So many decisions have led me here, where i am. Director of Marketing at a Major medical manufacturer, new mom, wife and new home owner. I majored in Political Science, started in sales and am now in marketing. How does that happen? Like it happens to alot of young people who major in something ridiculous like political science! You get out of college, no idea what to do with the obscure degree you obtained (could be that you majored in a language or just general business!) and you get a first job when the graduation money runs out and your parents drive you insane with lectures. Oh yeah, and you need health benefits! So then you get a job, any job.....mine was with a medical distribution company because my friend worked there......and then there is this ahaaa moment when you love or hate what you are doing and make a move. I didn't mind the telesales (very different than telemarketing) some call it inside sales. I knew it was not what I wanted to do long term but I was intrigued by the business itself . How could I make it better how could I improve what was given to me? This leads me to life lesson 1 - GET NOTICED! this will require of course you not being complacent and just clocking in. Figure out who can make your life better - your immediate boss, your coworkers and of course your bosses boss. In my case I knew my immediate boss was herself a complacent chick so I made sure her boss also knew if I was doing well and what I was coming up with. It was as simple as taking a fax page with specials on it and reformatting it with pictures and an up to date header. Looked SOO much better , took me no time at all and showed i had initiative...Now i needed buy in, get my coworkers on my side......your want em to love you and not be jealous.....that will lead to compliments on your work and the all mighty buy in. I made friends like it was my job. not life long lasting friendships (except 2 it turned out) but work friends. People that liked being around me everyday. again SOOO easy. Say hi to everyone, always offer to help, show an interest in what people are saying and listen to them and of course compliment the heck out of them....when you make others feel good they like to be around you. not rocket science folks. so now i got noticed, got buy in and my playing field was set. I had honest conversations with the 2 boss figures like: I really love the company but I want to contribute in a different way, maybe transition out of sales and try marketing. I made them believe that I wanted to grow with the company and I would continue in sales until such time as they thought i was ready. So many people want to grow in their jobs but here's a little reality check.......you won't unless management knows you want to! Again, not rocket science. People cant read your mind. I let them know what i wanted and guess what.......less than a year after joining the company I was promoted to marketing coordinator. So go to work tomorrow and GET NOTICED by your boss, his/her boss and your peers. Get on the radar. All i had to do was pretty up a fax, but it showed SO much more than that. The most important part of that story is No one told me to pretty up the fax...........that's what made the difference. You can do what they tell you to all day long and kick butt at it ........ you will not get noticed for that though, it is those who go outside the box of what they are expected to do who really shine. Well its late and i just have about 6 hours until my little one gets up so i am going to finish my wine and smile that i just finished my first Blog :-P