Page 1 - The Leadership Line: November 2021

The Leadership Line

Manager’s Newsletter

November 2021

Mentoring

What do you know now that you wish you knew early in your career?
What difference would it have made? A mentor is a person with expertise,
experience, or knowledge that is valuable to others and holds strong beliefs
about helping others by sharing this knowledge. They act as the guide,
advisor, and support structure to bring out the best in people by learning
about their strengths and leveraging it to co-create solutions.

According to a CareerBuilder survey, almost 60 percent of new leaders receive no training when they get promoted
into their first leadership position. The best analyst is usually the one who is promoted to lead the team. However, the
technical skill and savvy that got them the leadership role can quickly become a detriment if they rely solely on that
expertise. Mentors can make that adjustment a lot easier for their new leader mentees by listening to their frustrations
and giving some examples of how they made that transition. They should also help their new leaders understand the
importance of setting a vision, providing role clarity, and understanding how to uncover what motivates each of their
direct reports.

While MIL works to develop and foster a mentoring culture, it is never too early to begin the journey. A modern
focus of a type of informal mentoring is the concept of “flash mentoring” in which the mentoring relationships may
only encompass one or two sessions. In these instances, the mentee is looking for specific information or help, and
reaches out to a short-term mentor. Always be open to these moments.
In this issue of the Leadership Line, we want to share some tools for building those mentor/mentee moments and
showcase how your peers have already done so. Enjoy!