By Ana Lucia Jardim Evans*
When naturalist John Muir took President Theodore Roosevelt camping, Roosevelt later referred to the experience as "the grandest night of my life". That single night under the guidance of Muir is believed to have inspired Roosevelt to protect the country’s natural resources in a way that still echoes his passion today.
Such is the potential power of mentoring: shifting perspectives, opening possibilities, and realizing potential. Putting its philosophy of growth and development into action, BOLD offers a mentoring program to its members at no cost. The program matches highly motivated and accomplished senior executives with up-and-coming professionals looking to advance their careers. What are people saying about this program? We met with 3 program participants to find out more.
The value of mentoring to BOLD members
David Cragg, SVP of HR at Cytokinetics and a BOLD mentor, recalls his first experience as a mentee himself: “The father of a high school friend was an OD consultant for Mobil Oil. One day during a conversation, I got intrigued with the work that he was doing, so much that I ended up doing a few projects for him. I give him credit for helping me find my passion for HR early on, and we still keep in touch today ”.
Indeed, keeping in touch throughout the mentee’s life as well as supporting skill development are 2 of the characteristics that Nature magazine highlighted in the winning mentors of its 2007 Award for Creative Mentoring in Science. Others were:
- Appreciating the unique traits of the mentee
- Consistent availability
- Balancing advice with space to develop own insights
- Asking good questions and listening
- Celebrating accomplishments and milestones
- Building a community, connecting mentees with each other
- Sharing their professional networks
When we talked to Danielle Olander (Director, of Human Resources at Portola) and Tonia Rivera (HR Specialist at Solazyme), similar themes showed up as they described their current experience with their BOLD mentors, and the value they’ve received from the program.
“I am responsible for the HR function in my company”, shared Danielle, “there’s so much to do when you are solo, that it’s easy to become consumed by details and process”. Speaking of what she’s got out of the BOLD mentoring program, Danielle acknowledged how her mentor (a VP of HR) helped her develop a strategic mindset and become a driver in the company. “I changed my approach with the executive team and adopted new ways to influence the executive team. If wasn’t for my mentor I simply would not be where I am today.”
To Tonia Rivera, the program helped her realize the unique value she brings to the company. “I literally joined BOLD because of this mentoring program. After I signed-up, I received bios of 2 possible mentors, and I selected the one whose background better matched the direction I want to take in my career. It turned out to be everything I expected and more”. Tonia communicates regularly with her mentor, who gives her assignments and tools to develop awareness and practice different skills to meet real-life challenges. “I recall this one time when we used a fruit tree as a metaphor to describe how I can stand firm and true and offer something unique to the world. I have a picture of fruit tree in my cubicle as a visual reminder."
While it’s easier to understand why the BOLD program can be valuable to mentees, what’s in it for mentors? We asked David Cragg, who has been involved in the program since inception in 2007 and has mentored 4 BOLD members so far. “After over 30 years in HR, I wanted to give back to the HR community the support that I received and have benefited from so richly. I expected it to be more about giving than anything else, but in fact, it’s mutually beneficial: it’s rewarding to see someone grow and gain in confidence, but I also develop myself because I am exposed to different perspectives and have to trouble shoot new situations that make me wonder how I would respond if that would happen to me”.
Success factors for a BOLD mentoring relationship
While aspects such as meeting frequency, format, tools and issues discussed are unique to each mentor / mentee dyad, one theme permeated through the testimonials of our program participants: Commitment.
“This does not necessarily mean time commitment”, explains David. “It means that if you agree to participate, it’s important to commit to the terms you jointly define and make that explicit”. Participation in the program does not necessarily require an intense time investment, “it can just be a quick phone call /e-mail here and there, to ask for help on an issue, challenge, project or important presentation. I have had several encounters that I call “mentoring light” that took on this approach.” “Insight from the outside can really support your career”, says Danielle, who is also member of the program management team and regularly checks on progress with BOLD mentoring dyads.
Still, it’s the depth that comes with regular interaction that can realize the full potential of the relationship. “My mentor and I meet regularly, for dinner and occasionally on the phone”, says Danielle, ”by now my mentor understands my reality well and it’s almost like he worked at my company”. Tonia also highlighted the cadence of her mentoring meetings, which started 6 months ago. “We initially spoke every week, which was very helpful. Now one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that we’re really flexible".
Commitment and flexibility go hand in hand, also for a mentor. “It’s critical to ask yourself if you’re the right mentor for that individual”, David advises, “Use the first 2 meetings to explore that. If it’s not a good fit, be honest. It’s not personal. I had a BOLD mentee who changed jobs relatively early in our pairing so continuing to meet was no longer as relevant. So we wrapped the mentoring up, which was best for both of us”.
The biggest reward can also be the greatest challenge
At first, every time Danielle had a question or request for her mentor she worried that she might be bothering him. Even discerning what questions to ask was hard. “That mindset was really getting in my way. But then I realized that the way out was to get over the fact that someone wanted to help me!”. David recognizes this thought pattern, which he sees amplified in the HR profession. “We tend to be givers, we put others in the organization ahead of ourselves every day. But putting time aside for mentoring will ultimately help you serve your clients better”.
Tonia had no doubt about investing the time. For her, change and growth is the challenge itself, so leaning on the BOLD mentoring program was her way to access “support of someone whose sole interest is my success”.
How is the BOLD mentoring program different?
There are more mentors than mentees in the BOLD program. “This surprises me, I would expect more members to take advantage of this offering”, says David. For this founding mentor, the BOLD program offers 2 distinct advantages that an internal corporate program likely won’t. First, there is the opportunity to network and bond with friends and colleagues in the industry. Second, sometimes it can be uncomfortable to share certain challenges with a mentor working in the same company, something that is not an issue when tapping into the BOLD community of practice.
David’s message for BOLD members: ”Check it out. If it doesn’t work for you, then you will know at no cost except your time. But if it does, you might be surprised with the value of having a more seasoned HR professional support your journey and ultimately help you serve your clients better”.
To dive deeper into mentoring and the BOLD program for members:
- Nature‘s Guide for Mentors: Nature, Vol 447, 14 June 2007
- BOLD mentoring program: For more information, visit the BOLD website at http://www.growbold.com/home/mentorship.html, or contact mentorship@growBOLD.com
*Ana Lucia Jardim Evans is head of Organizational Development for Global Supply Chain North America at Roche / Genentech, and a Research volunteer with BOLD.
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