Lifelong Learning: Making the Most of Mentor Relationships
What do you think of when you see the word “mentor”? Does a previous manager, professor, relative, or friend come to mind? Whether it’s through occasional coffee chats, regular check-ins, or daily conversations, having a mentor can help you tremendously in your personal and professional growth throughout your entire career. There may have been times when you were faced with a tough decision, and the advice of someone with experience was extremely valuable.
Christine Dupuis leads Product Management at Heyday by Hootsuite, and throughout her career, she has been extremely passionate about the role mentorship has played in her life. Christine’s experiences at Google and McKinsey offered valuable lessons as a mentor and a mentee, and she was eager to share her learnings in her home city of Montreal. This led her to launch the Montreal chapter of APM Canada and to join the board of this organization dedicated to providing guidance, training and valuable connections to aspiring product managers.
We spoke to Christine about her experiences in the realm of mentorship, and here, she shares some valuable tips for finding a mentor and building effective relationships.
Tell us about your journey as a mentee.
Throughout my career, I’ve had many mentors from a variety of backgrounds. I’ve been in the tech space for some time, so many of my mentors are from the industry. I’ve worked in different functions and different companies and I love that I can easily get marketing, sales, or investor perspectives on a given challenge. I speak to my mentors about anything from career and big life decisions, to things like how to build my team or deal with a specific product challenge.
From a product management standpoint, I have met wonderful and helpful product leaders through the launch of APM Montreal. My colleagues at Heyday are a great source for day-to-day team management tips, since we all share the same context at work, and some of my long-time managers from previous jobs are great for life decisions, since they are looking at my situation from the outside and know my personal journey.
Why might someone want to find a mentor?
There is sometimes the perception that mentors are for students and those in their early career, but that’s absolutely not true. As a lifelong learner, I find that you can learn something from everyone. The same concept applies to mentorship. We all have blind spots, so having more than one mentor — I encourage this — ensures that you benefit from everyone’s unique expertise and perspective.
Different people will help you on different topics. For example, someone could be an expert on only one dimension of your role, while others will have expertise on a skill that is applicable and transferable across many situations. Your mentor doesn’t have to be someone who has been in the industry for longer than you have, either. They could be a colleague from another department who has a very strong expertise on something specific that you are trying to learn.
How do you find a mentor?
You’ll want to start by thinking about why you want a mentor, and what you’re looking for specifically. Is it for a particular facet of your role, or do you want general career advice, for example? When you’ve established this, reach out to your network. Be straightforward about what you’re looking for. Those around you may know someone and could offer to introduce you to people who can truly help you.
Once you have someone in mind, start with a casual coffee chat. Learn about their experiences and see if there is a good fit between the two of you. Don’t just ask “Do you want to be my mentor?” because that can be a bit intimidating for the recipient, they may not be ready to commit without knowing if they can really help you. See if there’s a mutual benefit that can be found by chatting with them regularly.
As I mentioned, you’ll want to find more than one mentor as well. Be careful about having your manager as your only mentor. They may be able to offer a lot of expertise in your field and in soft skills, but remember that your manager is also responsible for your performance. They are invested in your development, but may not be able to be as impartial as an external mentor would be. For example, if you want to discuss a job or career change, a manager will not be your best option.
How do you navigate this feeling of a one-way relationship?
As a mentee, I was always worried about bothering my mentors, and it felt like a one-way relationship where I brought nothing to the table and they gave me so much of their time. Today, being on the other side of this, I can say there’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone through a challenge. I know that mentors feel great about sharing their experiences, so don’t be shy. If they don’t want to spend the time, they will tell you.
Second, and this is very important: make sure you follow up. If you don’t follow up, you give the impression that the mentor’s time was not valuable, and they’ll be less interested in chatting with you in the future. When you follow up, you build that relationship — did you act on something you decided together or not? Why? What happened after? A truly invested mentor will be very interested in how your situation played out.
What advice do you have to build a strong relationship with your mentor?
- Know what each person brings. Each mentor has the potential to bring a different perspective and unique experiences, so keep this in mind as you prepare for your meetings with them.
- Have specific questions for them. Be ready to explain the context so that they have enough information, and be clear about what you want. Do you want to bounce ideas off them, or get tactical tips to navigate your situation? Keep in mind, it’s easier for someone external to your situation to challenge a proposal than to help you come up with a solution from scratch.
- Follow up. This is the best way to show your mentor that you value their time. Let them know what happened, whether you followed their advice or didn’t, and how it went.
Mentorships thrive when both the mentor and mentee are invested. As a mentee, you’ll be better equipped to navigate challenges that come your way. As a mentor, you’ll become a better leader, gain new perspectives, and share your knowledge with others. These relationships have the potential to change your entire career trajectory and improve both of your careers.
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