{"id":27478,"date":"2022-05-24T17:57:02","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=27478"},"modified":"2024-10-22T17:46:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T16:46:30","slug":"mentorship-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/mentorship-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t miss out on mentorship opportunities: Broadening our definition of mentorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mentorship can play a key part in any career, no matter what stage. Whether you\u2019re an individual contributor, manager, or director, you can leverage your own skills \u2013 and those around you \u2013 to influence growth across your team, org, and company.<\/span><\/p>\n

Broadening the definition of mentorship<\/h2>\n

We often view mentorship through a very specific lens: one person sitting down with another, more junior person, to impart some valuable experience or knowledge.<\/p>\n

This version of mentorship may seem distant or unrealistic to some. Many people don\u2019t have access to a suitable mentor, don\u2019t know where to look for one, or simply haven\u2019t thought about how a mentor might help them to develop and grow within their career. They also may not have considered their own potential to offer mentorship to others.<\/p>\n

Crafting a culture of mentorship across your company<\/h2>\n

Mentorship is defined simply as<\/a> the guidance provided by a mentor, especially an experienced person in a company or educational institution. The formal one-to-one, structured session we picture when we hear the word \u201cmentorship\u201d is just one of many ways to take advantage of mentorship as a resource in your company.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you begin to look at mentorship through a wider lens, it becomes clear that opportunities to receive or offer mentorship crop up all the time\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Every team has a valuable mix of strengths, and varying levels of skill and expertise in different areas across its members. Every team member has something to teach the rest of the team, and something to learn from their teammates \u2013 whether that\u2019s a skill, a new perspective, or career advice. When you begin to look at mentorship through a wider lens, it becomes clear that opportunities to receive or offer mentorship crop up all the time \u2013 you just have to be able to spot them.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need a formal mentor program, or a defined mentor-mentee relationship to ensure mentorship has a place in your career, team, and company. It\u2019s easy to look at mentorship as a one-to-one activity, but it\u2019s important for companies to build a culture of mentorship at every level. There are three overarching areas to consider:<\/p>\n

Leveraging mentorship across your team<\/h3>\n

This means creating mentorship opportunities and space for mentorship on a team or org level. It\u2019s about building a team environment where people are aware of their strengths and areas for improvement, and are comfortable to ask others for guidance or offer valuable advice when they can.<\/p>\n

Implementing a culture of feedback and action is an important part of this, but it takes self-awareness across the entire team to build the ideal environment for mentorship. To break down barriers to mentorship on your team, ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the shape of my team? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Take time to understand your own strengths and gaps in your knowledge, as well as those of your team. Making your team aware of the expertise they can offer, and who can benefit from it, will help to create a well-rounded group of people who can help each other, and other teams, develop.<\/p>\n

I use a spider diagram to measure my performance, and my confidence, in each of the <\/span>five skills<\/span><\/a> product managers are measured against at Intercom. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Spider diagram mapping out my strengths and growth areas based on feedback and my confidence in each area<\/em><\/p>\n

The blue line shows my performance assessment from my last review, while the red line reflects the level of confidence I have in each skill. In addition, I\u2019ll record specific areas of growth I\u2019ve identified, either from my own perspective or feedback I\u2019ve received.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This information is invaluable to me as I mentor others on my team, and to anyone who\u2019s mentoring me because it can give them a clear picture of where I\u2019m coming from and where I want to go.<\/p>\n

Honestly and objectively identifying your skill areas and growth opportunities \u2013 and encouraging others on your team to do the same \u2013 unlocks the benefits of mentorship. Once you\u2019ve honestly and objectively identified your skill areas and growth opportunities, you can begin to answer the important questions:<\/p>\n