I've had several mentors speaking into my career, many of whom I am able to tap into for advice whenever needed to this day. I have developed confidence in my abilities and knowledge through these relationships. I am grateful to the people who have not only willingly, but excitedly, shared from their own deep pools of knowledge to help me be a better quality practitioner for those I serve in my sphere of influence. I hope to mentor others in the same way as I progress in my career.

Thank you Amanda for sharing!

I think when you have the gift of one of these amazing relationships, good things come to both the mentee and the mentor.

I too am enriched by the insight I gain from mentors, but also wisdom & insight that comes up through the mentee.

For me, I've learned two things from my mentees: 1) I love this work and know I will continue to support up and coming professionals and 2) I stay current with the challenges they face so I can further improve the advise I provide.

I love your story and thank you again for sharing!

Deb
 

I had several very good mentors. Unfortunately they were all men. It would have been enormously helpful to have had a female mentor, since workplace dynamics and experiences for women are vastly different. They just didn’t exist when I was younger.

Yes, I have had several mentors throughout the course of my career. My first mentor was my father. My mother died when I was 5, so he (with the help of his mother) raised me and my siblings to: 1. Have an opinion even if it is not popular, 2. Listen, more than talk, 3. Always try to do the right thing the first time be there are only so many times you can apologize to the same person without running the risk of your apology not being accepted. My father also told me as a young woman starting out in my career: Ask someone to be your mentor! So, I did that, and yes, they were all men. For an a African American female, there were not many look-like-me mentors. But, the men who stepped to the plate to advise and guide me, stepped it up, just like my dad!

Oh my, I answered the first part of the question, but not really the second part. My dad’s wisdom helped me build the self-confidence needed to survive and thrive in the work environment, and ultimately life. Other mentors shared ideas, principles, and techniques that led to my success in the Quality arena. As a result, I have successfully mentored more than 400 individuals with varying backgrounds (e.g., engineers, senior managers, physicians, dentists, etc.) over the past two decades.

Janet - I consider myself fortunate that I had the opportunity to have one of my mentors along my journey be female, but recognize not everyone had this type of opportunity. This is part of the reason I mentor others now!

H