Anyone have a mentor within their company

[richatnort]

So i've been offered a mentor however not having one before I don't know what to do with it. I think it would be good for me to progress but i'm not really sure what things a mentor helps with.

The chap i've got is a director (large company so theres the CEO > MD of product > Director guy

I'm a senior product owner and wanting to move up as i'm not really being stretched but having never had a mentor before i'm not sure what to expect from him.

Can i ask him questions about where i could take my career in the company maybe some skills i'm lacking in like clear communication and how he would tackle that and also ask him what sort of things should i be doing to be noticed to be considered for promotions in the future?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[simon_harris]

It works better when it is properly structured and you set out some clear goals and objectives.

I have been mentored and have also mentored others, it worked for me and hopefully I helped others, they were certainly doing well last i spoke with them.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

If you build a relationship you'll get to know what questions you can or shouldn't ask.

I've been a mentor many times, and if done right it can be beneficial to both sides of the team.

[richatnort]

thanks chaps i certainly what to get it right its just getting that structure set up.

Do the people you mentor have an idea of what they want to get out of it and is it things like skills or how to progress or other things too?

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

richatnort said:

thanks chaps i certainly what to get it right its just getting that structure set up.

Do the people you mentor have an idea of what they want to get out of it and is it things like skills or how to progress or other things too?

The guys I mentored mostly wanted to get "management" experience & "life" experience if that makes any sense to you. They also (hopefully) benefitted from just having a sounding board in tricky times.

If it's successful it can lead to very strong bonds. (I played golf today with a guy I mentored in 1996)

[OMITN]

+1 for structured goals.

Mentoring is different from coaching, but shares aspects of it.

I put joining a mentoring programme at a previous employer down as the big jump in my career. My mentor - though younger than me - had (and has continued to have) a meteoric career progression and he was able to share with me the insights he had gained on his way up.

The big thing I learned is that the skill to making real progress is not in your technical skills, but in how to adopt a leadership mindset: understanding the context and seeing how the business fits together.

I’ve since used leadership coaching (and in fact will do some more). That was more challenging, but also hugely useful.

If you have a chance to work with a mentor, then do it. The worst that happens is you learn what not to do….

[Collectingbrass]

Have a look at Who is in your Personal Boardroom?: How to choose people, assign roles and have conversations with purpose
by Zella King

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1502436523/ref=cm_sw_e...

She is a researcher at the Henley Business School who has identified how people who rapidly advance their career build a network to do that, as opposed to those of us who are good at our day jobs. A mentor is a key role in that network.

The other thing I would do with the mentor is work out a longer term (say 3 - 5 year) plan with SMART goals to kick on your career. I do this with my team and I'm happy to help out a fellow PHer.

[rog007]

Some good insights above that should assist.

I’d add just to expand the discussion a little that some commonly agreed differences between coaching and mentoring today include coaching usually being an in-house sport with an experienced colleague supporting a less experienced colleague with their work.

Mentoring on the other hand is usually considered supporting an individual to develop holistically and doesn’t require any knowledge of the industry they currently work in; it could even be an advantage to have no knowledge of the organisation at least.

Adding further too about how to progress, this is more recently called having a ‘sponsor’. Not easy to establish, but works really well when it is.

https://hbr.org/2013/09/the-right-way-to-find-a-ca...