I’ve been proud to act as a mentor for colleagues and contact for the past 20 years and that pleasure continues with a flurry of recent activity. This month, I’ve started mentoring connections with 3 new people:
- Kathy, based in Toronto, Canada
- Siti, based in Singapore
- Barack, based in Kigali, Rwanda
I find this pretty amazing. I’m working with three great people, in three countries, on three different continents. Before this month, I had never met any of them.
How did I get here? There were two different paths, both interesting for me. My employer recently started an internal mentoring program, targeted at helping women advance in their careers. I was happy to volunteer to serve as a mentor. I was connected with two talented and promising and eager new colleagues.
Siti is a Team Leader with Kantar’s Insights organization in Singapore. She’s looking for help to boost her confidence in unfamiliar situations. She wants to be better at having difficult conversations with her team members: that’s familiar – I think that’s pretty uncomfortable for all of us, regardless of experience level.
Kathy is a recently promoted Account Lead Kantar’s Insights organization in Canada. She’s looking for similar help. She wants feel more comfortable presenting to clients and interacting with the team members she is leading.
I connected with Barack through an entirely different channel. For about a year, I’ve been volunteering for a great organization (based in London) called Black Valley. This is my 3rd cycle through a Black Valley cohort, being paired with an emerging technology talent who (I hope) I can help advance his career. Previously through Black Valley, I worked with Marcus (in the UK) and with Olabayo (in Nigeria).
What’s the takeaway for me? First, I hope that I’ll be able to add some value for Siti, Kathy and Barack. So far, the signs are good! More importantly, I’m proud to be able to pass on some of my experience to others in a way that will be helpful to them. I’m especially aware of the privilege I’ve enjoyed, as a straight white American male in technology. I’ve never experienced discrimination or lack of opportunity because of my background. I recognize those benefits and I’m grateful for the positions I’ve achieved. I’m happy to “give back” a little bit, helping people who haven’t benefited from those same privileges.
Within 2021, I’ve been able to act as an “official” mentor for 5 people, in 5 countries, on 4 continents. All of that has happened while I’ve managed (directly or indirectly) team members in 6 countries and worked closely with colleagues in at least 11 additional countries.
My job is definitely a global role and I love it!