Surrounding yourself with people who can support your path is such an important component of professional development. We all need people in our corner- those who can be cheerleaders, those who can poke holes in our ideas, and those who can connect us to sponsors who can get us to that next step. At OutGrowth, we believe that community isn't just important- it's everything. It pushes us to grow. It builds our perspective. It helps us to reach our potential. Our collaborative business model puts us in touch with leaders, partners and organizations who inspire us to grow better and further. As a business owner, I am always seeking out new opportunities to mentor tomorrow's leaders. As someone who is committed to ongoing improvement, I rely on the feedback and perspective of my dynamite Advisory Board as I build the company. Everyone needs a village. After all, none of us should have to go for our dreams alone. This month, as we transition from winter into spring, we focus on the value of new growth through mentorship. We understand that the first stages of creating that network and finding that mentor match can be challenging, which is why we wanted to take the time to shed some light on the topic. In this issue, we feature two phenomenal leaders who are highly experienced in mentorship. They share with us their insight and strategies for getting connected to the right people- those invaluable individuals who are consistently committed to our growth. We also feature our top three resources for getting into that mentorship mindset. Whether you are looking for a mentor or a mentee, there is something here for you. Happy reading! Grow out with us. |
|
|
OutGrowth Today Our Monthly Blogger Spotlight + OutGrowth's Top Tip for March The En Root Scoop Cultivating a Mentorship Mindset Our Top Article, Podcast and Book |
|
|
The Meaning of Mentoring for Me and Those Whom I Mentor Mentoring has been defined many ways. While I could adopt one published definition, I have a clear idea of what mentoring means to me. In fact, I bet each member of each pair in each mentoring relationship has her own idea of what mentoring means. I have given talks on mentoring as a TEDx speaker, at a local emerging leaders conference, and to kick off a year of mentoring for my alma mater’s MHA program. In each, I recounted many mentoring stories. I can count over a dozen relationships to choose from. One relationship has lasted a decade and continues to grow. Others are just a few mentoring sessions, although the opportunity to reengage never disappears. All are bound by one thing: my goal to help another become the best version of the person she wants to be. A Model for Finding Mentoring Opportunities I’m often asked: “How do you find so many mentees?” My long-term employment in higher education puts me at an advantage for developing relationships with people seeking counsel from more experienced individuals. The same is true in almost any educational setting. However, my closest mentoring relationships are not with my own students. Instead, my key to finding new mentoring opportunities is putting myself in places of frequent inter-generational interaction and being open to opportunities. I achieve that thanks to my love of engaging in the community around me. My inter-generational interaction through community engagement is not unique, but I believe it used to occur more often. In Bowling Alone (a book written two decades ago), Robert Putnam discussed the decline in community engagement. In addition to the fewer bowling leagues suggested by the book’s title, lower community engagement translated into less participation in fraternal organizations, religious observance attendance, union membership, and neighborhood associations. Participation in these organizations was associated with social capital, i.e., a sense of people having each other’s backs. Social capital was built through time spent developing relationships with many others in the organization. Most of these organizations included not only their focus on their mission but frequent opportunities for members to socialize. Repeated conversation can lead to friendships that wouldn’t exist otherwise that, when between individuals in different generations, can organically transform into mentoring relationships. Mentoring, fundamentally, is about having someone’s back while facilitating her transformation into the best version of herself. What is My Community Engagement? I don’t engage in many of the activities Putnam discussed. However, I’ll share three stories of community engagement resulting in mentoring relationships. |
|
First, I have participated in a community of runners who volunteer together and aim for self-improvement together. A long-distance running workout with one person provides a wonderful opportunity for conversation. My strongest mentoring relationship is with someone with whom I’ve run thousands of miles. Conversations, one hour at a time over seven years, have included sharing hopes and dreams, advice, and frequent check-ins. All important parts of my mentoring. Second, a decade long relationship developed through the alumni association of my alma mater. While rooted in higher education, its initiation was driven by my choice to engage with the next generation of students in the community in which I matured, and my willingness to listen to the amazingly complex story of what my mentee wanted to do. After ten years of work, she is on a Fulbright in the Ivory Coast that she describes as the culmination of her life’s work so far. Third, a budding relationship with the editor-in-chief of the first fashion magazine put out by Johns Hopkins students. This is not a student I would have had any reason to interact with aside from seeing the magazine mentioned in the University’s news feed, and a decision to send her an email congratulating her on putting out the first issue. I don’t know whether this will be one of my “just a few sessions” or long-term mentoring relationships. But even the first few sessions have allowed me to understand her shifting aspirations, share perspectives on career pivots, and share stories about the importance of how one presents oneself. Putting it All Together to Look for Mentoring Relationships For me, the near limitless opportunities come from a combination of community engagement, curiosity about others, and a willingness not to seek only mentees who want to be a “mini-me." Through community engagement, I have had the opportunity to develop more joy-producing, organic mentoring relationships than I ever would have imagined. Those who want to share and those who seek mentoring are likely to find that their opportunities for mentoring relationships will grow exponentially if they find ways to engage in their community, and are interested in learning about others who do the same. Kevin Frick is the Vice Dean for Education at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School where he teaches Frameworks for Analyzing Health Care Markets and still participates in some research. Additionally, Kevin provides leadership to the Offices of Admissions, Academic Advising, Program Administration, Student Services, Career Development, Experiential Learning, Registrar, and Institutional Data and Analytics. He has given talks on mentoring for TEDxJHUDC, the United Way of Central Maryland Emerging Leaders United conference, and the Penn State MHA mentoring program kickoff for 2019. He also enjoys running, poetry writing, baking, and being a father of three. |
|
|
When I reflect on my most vulnerable moments over the past years as an entrepreneur, a good number of them played out in front of other people. These people waited for me to choke out my words through tears, coaxed me down from a bad decision, and tempered my angry impulses. That’s the power of a good mentor. It’s always important to learn from those who have come before you. But when you’re an entrepreneur, having a mentor is especially vital since your journey is riddled with uncertainty. There are many times when you’ll face a situation where you have no idea how to even fathom a solution. That’s where a mentor comes in – they may not be able to solve the problem, but they’ll be able to give you a fresh perspective on your predicament. Mentorship permeates my work. I started my career founding the incubator and accelerator programs at Johns Hopkins, where I helped students launch their first ventures. My nonprofit, Innov8MD, has an entire event series focused on connecting student entrepreneurs to mentors, and my company, EcoMap Technologies, created a database of every Baltimore mentorship program to help local innovators find guidance. My purpose is to help more people become entrepreneurs, so a big part of my job is helping people form relationships with those who can assist them along the way. When I help people find mentors, I stress that there are multiple types of mentors that they will need to lean on at different points. In my opinion, these are the three most important mentors for any entrepreneur or young professional: The Friend Mentor This mentor is the person that you can go to with what you might consider “stupid” questions. It can be daunting to ask a mentor, who one day might connect you to investors or even invest themselves, a “dumb” question. So instead, take these questions to your Friend Mentor. You don’t have to worry about coming across as inexperienced, and you’ll know they can relate to you. |
|
The Been-There Mentor This mentor is simply someone who has been in your shoes before and can provide you a more advanced and nuanced perspective. Maybe they’ve founded a company, built a successful fundraising campaign, or are simply a few decades older than you. Regardless, they’ll be able to call out your errors of inexperience or ignorance before they come to haunt you. The Expert Mentor This mentor has the industry and topic-area knowledge that you need to be successful in your specific field. These are the mentors that you go to with highly specific questions that most people would gawk at. They speak the language of your industry, and they’ll be the ones to show you the tricks of the trade. Being an entrepreneur is hard, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. Surround yourself with people who have done it before, and you’ll be well on your way to building something great. Pava LaPere is the Founder of EcoMap Technologies and the Co-Founder of Innov8MD. She is dedicated to helping people become entrepreneurs and to creating more equitable and accessible entrepreneurial ecosystems. She loves Baltimore, and in her free time she reads, lifts weights, and plays the piano. |
|
|
| | Monthly Blogger Spotlight Tapping into Your Power by Katie Leonard "Leaders have to show up every single day and not only work through their own problems and journey, but equip and motivate others to work through theirs. Leaders are way-makers." "The 'rules' are fake. Your journey is your journey. You can't compare your goals, the steps you take, or your journey to anyone else's." Katie Leonard is the Founding Partner of Zero Model NOVA, a for-profit business incubator that exists to promote the innovative potential of formerly-incarcerated people as they pursue goals of employment, entrepreneurship, and independence. | | |
|
| | OutGrowth's Top Tip Moments in Mentorship Did you know that at OutGrowth, we are dedicated to ongoing mentorship? Outside the realm of our programming, we've worked through seven organizations over the past year to mentor undergraduate and graduate students as they chart their next paths. Not only does mentoring keep us sharp and relevant, it also helps us to stay aligned with our vision of growing the next generation of leaders. We believe effective mentorship begins with one key step: Listening. Mentoring isn't just about career advisement. It takes into consideration the whole person, and his/her own unique life design. It requires asking the right questions, paying close attention to what excites mentees about their futures, and ultimately, facilitating the discovery process instead of driving it. | | |
|
|
'Mentor-mentee relationships come in all shapes and sizes. Among these relationships are mentorships that have led to success . . . as well as those that resulted in frustration and wasted time. To minimize those unfortunate outcomes, look for the following six factors that set great mentors apart.' | | |
|
|
'Mentoring is a relationship in which someone with more experience or a broader perspective in a particular role or activity (the mentor) helps someone with less experience in that area (the mentee) to develop the understanding and awareness that will help them to be successful and adapt quickly to new situations. In this series of podcasts, they explore the case of mentoring; how to be an effective mentor and how to get the most out of mentoring.' | | |
|
|
'In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact. Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential.' | | |
|
|
|
|
