Fourth Annual Mentorship Best Practices Panel

FountainBlue's November 17 When She Speaks program was on the topic of 'Fourth Annual Mentorship Best Practices'. Please join me in thanking our esteemed panelists.

• Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue

• Mentors:

• Gil Cruz, Senior Director, Business Development, Customer Experience Americas Service Provider, Cisco  

• Kristi Gay, Engineering Training & Education Sr. Manager, Coupa Software

• Dana Gharda, Head of University Talent Engagement, US, ASML

• Vicky Watson, Senior Manager Production Control, Lam Research

• Mentees:

  • Harshita Jayakar,  Senior Technical Program Manager, Lam Research

  • Tiffany Pham, Senior Business Architect, Cisco 

• with opening remarks and panel participation by Robert Socha, ASML Fellow, ASML

Below is a summary of thoughts on a fascinating and thought-provoking discussion.

Embrace a mentorship mindset.

• Accept that mentorship is a two-way street and all parties may benefit.

• Be the giver and the receiver.

• Be passionate about participating in a mentorship program.

Be open to *how* mentorship shows up.

• Be open-minded and receptive whether mentorship comes from formal or informal processes, whether it's technical or new-hire or cross-age/cross-gender mentoring.

Secure support and sponsorship to enhance mentorship programs.

• Make the business case for mentorship by showing personal *and* business benefit through metrics and strategic planning.

• See a need for your company and leverage mentorship to meet that need.

• Challenge and reward people who go over and above day-to-day requirements.

• Plan well but also embrace serendipitous opportunities.

• Invite yourself to make things happen, regardless of your role and responsibility. It increases the likelihood that something will happen.

Facilitate Mentorship Conversations.

• Facilitate conversations rather than directing actions, for self-discovery leads to broader and deeper personalized learnings.

• Encourage others to brainstorm with open minds and hearts, but provide guardrails and guidance to help them make their ideas and dreams into real-world plans.

• Ask deep and open-ended questions.

• Ask the 'why' question for those who might be really ambitious and eager and the 'why-not' question for those who are hesitant and reticent.

Embrace Differences.

• Respect regional, cultural, gender, age, and all other differences so that you can invite and integrate these different viewpoints into the rich and innovative fabric of an organization.

• Connect people with different mindsets, roles, business units and perspectives to improve likelihood of cross-pollination of ideas.

Focus on Relationships.

• Invite the mentor-mentee relationship to last beyond the length of the program.

• Facilitate conversations rather than directing actions, for self-discovery leads to broader and deeper personalized learnings.

Brainstorm – how can we better integrate mentorship into our work lives?

• Invite more social half hour chats and see which ones might develop into deeper, longer-term connections.  

• Connecting at New-hire orientation

• Check-in with someone regarding goals

• Making the time for mentorship

• Invite technologists to represent the voice of the customer. 

• Help mentees to better connect and communicate.

• Follow up and check in with those you mentor.

• Gathering people over a common theme

• Open office hours

• It's about the integration of information and training

• Journaling and thinking 

Takeaways:

• What will you share at the dinner table?

• Who did you help today?

• Be passionate to realize the exponential effect of mentorship

• Invest in yourself, making yourself PROUD

• Making sure your people have tools and skills, thoughtful planning

• Mindset – change your paradigm, as a mentee, get curious and speak out; as a mentor, be creative on how to serve

Our takeaway? Life and work is better with mentors and mentees. Show up to be the best mentee/mentor you can be.