How has your dual role as mentor and mentee worked out for you?
It gives me a unique perspective where I am learning as well as sharing, giving me this wide perspective on mentoring and the role it can play in anyone’s development. As a mentee, my mentor has helped me navigate some of the most difficult challenges of my career by not just letting me bounce ideas off them but going so far as to walk me through navigating the difficult meetings and communications I would face. My mentor has also been extremely open and candid about their own similar challenges, letting me know I’m not the first person to face them.
This, in turn, has taught me how to be a better mentor to my mentees, knowing when to listen, when to share my experience, and when to walk them step by step through what to do.
Most importantly, from both sides, I have learned that the work is all in the listening. It’s not just true for me as a mentee; in general, most people I’ve mentored just need someone to listen rather than jump into giving advice or solutions.
What’s the most unexpected thing that you’ve learned, either as a mentor or mentee?
What’s really interesting to me is seeing the variety of challenges my mentees face and how there is no one-size-fits-all for providing guidance. For example, one of my mentees felt like they were really spread thin. And I listened and was able to say, “What it sounds like to me is you are looking for is how do I set boundaries?” Then I saw that flash of recognition, so we were then able to walk through a discussion of how to set boundaries without alienating people. My other mentee has a successful career but is trying to figure out the next step, so we would spend our time talking through options.
Both of their challenges are unique and interesting; everyone is going through something, so we go back to listening. At the end of the day, 90% of it is just listening and letting them talk it through themselves. In doing so, I have also learned a great deal from my mentees!
Has being in the program changed your career or educational goals?
Recently, I hit a moment where I realized that waiting for the next step in my career wasn’t enough; I needed to actively shape it. My mentor was instrumental in helping me think through what that meant in practice. One concrete step was enrolling at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School to pursue my Executive MBA. It’s something I had long aspired to do but kept postponing, and my mentor’s example and encouragement played a major role in turning that intention into action.
My mentor helped me talk through topics such as how I stay challenged in my current role and how I gain the right experience, knowledge, and education to be ready for the next opportunity. I thought the program was out of reach, but my mentor encouraged me to apply.
I’m using the Lab’s TAP Program to pay for it. I feel TAP is one of the best benefits of working at the Lab. Not enough people know about it and take advantage of the opportunity. So, if I can share one other key learning, besides the importance of listening, it is to explore TAP. If I can help just one person use TAP to achieve their next educational goal, I will feel like a success.
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