‘I am the amalgamation of every single girl I’ve ever thought was cool’: why role-models and mentors are so important.
By Natalie Harney, Consultant
When I was growing up I made role models out of my peers constantly. I picked up behaviours, language, and some very questionable fashion choices in an attempt to be a combination of everything I thought was cool or clever.
Given the popularity of this tweet I don’t think I was alone.
That process is no different when it comes to work, it’s just slightly less fashion focused. I’m constantly learning from and stealing what I like best about my colleagues. That might mean trying to emulate how our more senior co-workers hold themselves or noting down something great I’ve seen a colleague do while facilitating a workshop, or even just borrowing someone else’s inbox management trick.
Everyone I work with is a role model of some kind, which is incredible if you ask me.
But mentors are something different. They serve a different purpose. They’re something more. Mentors take a more active role in helping you grow, you work in partnership. There are three things that I personally want as the basis of those partnerships.
First, the best mentors I’ve had have helped me imagine what’s possible. At different stages of my career that has meant different things, from being made aware of the kinds of roles available in a business and how I might fit into that, to being pushed to imagine how I might progress. A mentor can help you imagine what’s out there, or what could be, to empower you to set your own course because you have an idea of the landscape.
Second, as a someone who’s still in the early stages of their career I’ve found the most rewarding mentorship relationships I’ve had are the ones where I’ve been comfortable enough to turn to my mentor with (occasionally stupid) questions about how the workplace, well, works. No one teaches you how to navigate evaluations, finding the right role or resourcing in school. At the start of your career having someone to impartially help you with those office tools and to offer the odd reassuring anecdote to help you navigate that journey is so useful.
Finally, the thing I want most from a mentor is feedback. Feedback is a big part of our culture at Transform for a reason, and it’s the main difference between mentors and role models in my opinion. Where you might just try to blindly imitate a role model a mentor can steer you and offer advice on how you might improve and grow.
We naturally seek out role models in whatever we’re doing, but mentors go a step beyond just giving you something to aspire to they work with to forge your own path. They help you see the landscape, give you the tools to navigate it, and then nudge you back on course.
Contact us here to sign up to the Women in Digital mentorship scheme. We’re looking for both mentors and mentorees.
