Correspondences: Growing a Mentor Network
Kim Katzenmeyer and Jordan McDaniel
Continuing to grow your skills is an important part of career development. Sometimes, we get the chance to try new things in our day-to-day work. Other times, we need to step outside our daily routine to find new challenges. Mentors can provide trusted guidance in helping identify new areas for growth. How can architects identify growth areas and build a relationship with mentors to address those areas? What makes a really great mentor? How do you ask to be mentored?
What is your philosophy on “mentorship”?
Kim: For me the word “mentor” does not really resonate. I actually relate more strongly to the word “coach”. This may be because I was an athlete, so I tend to look at it from more of a coaching perspective rather than a mentoring perspective. I don’t believe there is one person who can identify all the skills I need to improve on and then lay out a plan (the who, what, and how) for achieving this. I think that is why I believe mentorship is personal to each individual. For me it is finding a network of people to connect with depending on the topic. I really don’t have one person that I would call my mentor. Jordan, how do you look at mentorship?
Jordan: I couldn’t agree more! Someone once shared a clever metaphor with me that helped me rethink my approach to mentorship. Imagine yourself as the CEO or President of your life. You may be leading the charge, but you’re not the expert for finance, operations, marketing, and so on. Executives of successful companies frequently seek counsel from their board of directors. So we, as individuals, should not shy away from doing the same!
Create your own board of directors that can provide the diversified advice you need. If you have a hard time staying motivated, then find a high-performer to share productivity tips and to be an accountability partner for some of your key goals. If you are starting to learn Apex code, then find an Apex developer with a lot of patience and resources to share. There is no hard-and-fast rule saying you can only have one mentor or X number of mentors at any given time. So I think of it as a fluid experience as my growth areas change and evolve over time.
Kim: How do you identify growth areas and build a relationship with mentors to address them?
Jordan: Something I struggle with (and frequently hear from others as being a common challenge) is trying to be an expert at everything. When we try to boil the ocean on areas of improvement, the results become diluted even though the effort takes lots of energy and time. So, easier said than done, but I try to focus on one big area and maybe a few small areas of improvement at a time. Then I align my mentors to areas where I have blind-spots, need feedback, or don’t know where to start (but have that end goal in mind!).
Kim, Once you know the reason you want to be mentored, how do you go about finding the right mentor for you?
Kim: Going back to the the athlete metaphor, if you look at a football team, there is a defensive coordinator, an offensive coordinator, and a special teams coach. I think you need to identify what it is you want to focus on, for example, integrations or DevOps or industry knowledge. Then find a mentor that has knowledge in that specific area. Personally, I reach out directly to people or network to find people who have the skills I am looking to learn. After we chat a few times, and if we connect, I would then talk with them about being my coach/mentor on the topic. If they agree, I then set up a more formal cadence of one-on-one meetings to determine if they are someone that I can connect with. If they are hard to talk to or I’m uncomfortable when meeting with them then I keep looking. For me, a mentor needs to be someone that I respect and has the knowledge and skills I’m looking for, but also is easy to talk to and challenges me.
Jordan, how do you you gauge fit, personality, and skill level? What makes a really great coach or mentor to you?
Jordan: This is tricky! Ideally I like to have a diverse board of people pushing, encouraging, challenging, and inspiring me. It’s easy to pick “yes-people” or default to those who only give you encouraging feedback. Sometimes you need people like that to keep you grounded in your accomplishments in a certain area but you also need someone to challenge or inspire you in other areas. So I try to match my strength and focus areas with the personality I am looking for. For example, I have been putting off studying for the Integration certification for far too long so I need a technical challenger. I’m starting to do better with work-life balance though, so right now I just need someone to hold me accountable and to celebrate small wins with.
Kim: So now, the million dollar question: “How do you ask to be mentored?”
Jordan: I cringe just reading this, especially in the tech industry. It does not have to be this formal! I ask people all the time if I can pick their brain on something specifically. If the conversation goes well, I ask if I can occasionally shoot over questions or schedule a follow-up cadence to make sure I’m still on the right path.
A cold reach-out to someone you don’t know, can feel intimidating. I recommend keeping it simple by giving context as to how you found them and what you need help with, and then ask if there is anything you can take off their plate in return. Then send; don’t over-analyze!
Tim Ferris has some incredible Ted talks about fear. In one, he said “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Just remember, the worst case is that your desired mentor will say “no” or not respond. Try to see that as a blessing in disguise as a mentor who is too busy or isn’t really interested creates an uncomfortable vibe for everyone. You have now crossed their radar and they might refer you to someone else or keep you in mind for when they do have the time.
Kim, how do you approach people you want to be your mentor?
Kim: I totally agree with you, I also keep it causal, ask them if they have a few minutes to chat and I offer to assist them with anything they may need in the future. If the first chat goes well then I ask if they would be interested in setting up regular meetings. Simple as that, if they say they don’t have the bandwidth that’s cool and if they do, well then you’re set!
About the Correspondents
Kim Katzenmeyer is EDU Services Manager, Sr. Principal Customer Success Architect with Salesforce. In Kim’s own words:
I was introduced to Salesforce back in 2006. The company I was working for charged me with finding a CRM. Fast forward to today, I have 19 Salesforce certifications and am a Sr Principal Customer Success Architect with Salesforce.org working with our Higher Education customers. I am a Peloton and Hydrow groupie, watching football is a favorite pastime and nothing means more to me than my family! (pets included!)
Jordan McDaniel is a Senior Solution Engineer with Salesforce. In Jordan’s own words:
I started my career as an accidental Salesforce admin with zero technical background. With a lot of support and encouragement from our local Women in Tech User Group, I transitioned to being a Salesforce consultant for a few years. Now I work for Salesforce as a Solution Engineer, helping our customers map goals and challenges to technology to accelerate their business. I have 13 Salesforce certifications and am wildly proud of the increase in women working towards becoming Certified Technical Architects! When I’m not working, you can usually find me trying new crafts, traveling, and spending time with my family.
