Mentee to Mentor: A Leadership Journey

Having a mentor became a foundational element for me that impacted the trajectory of my career. I’m not talking about one session with a mentor or remembering something inspirational that “changed my life.” I’m talking about the continuous mentoring web woven into my education and career by the dozens of people who provided consistent and unconditional support, advice, and guidance, both purposefully and simply by example. 

I now have a mentor mindset, so this entire post is written in an attempt to provide you with some helpful tips if you’re considering finding a mentor or becoming one.

My Journey as a Mentee 

The first mentoring environment I was a part of was (mostly) accidental. Accidental in the sense that when I started college at the University of Puget Sound to study business, I was part of the Business Leadership Program. The program took my already small class size of 500 hundred down to roughly 30 students providing me with easy access to faculty, staff, advisors, classmates, and every built-in support network I needed to succeed academically and professionally. I knew that I was excelling because of a supportive community filled with mentors at every turn. [Read more…]