The Pivotal Moment

Julie Fawcett, Head of Estates and Facilities, Big Yellow

I fell into this industry very early on.  I didn’t go the University route but I had the most amazing support from the people I worked with, who encouraged me and gave me the confidence I needed.  It was through them that I started to understand the importance of having people round me who could see something in me.  I wondered whether I might be able to do the same for someone else one day…which is why I got involved in mentoring.

New perspectives

I’ve found that, as a mentor, I have got as much out of the relationship as my mentees did.  It is a continual learning process, bringing new perspectives on life, both work life and personally.  If you’ve been in your career for some years, it is so valuable to get a different outlook, or find yourself challenged by a new approach.  

And, while the mentor is generally more experienced than their mentee, you can mentor at any stage.  So an early-career graduate can mentor a student and give them the benefit of their experience at that level.  At the other end of the spectrum, I mentored a very senior woman who needed support when menopause was playing hell with her – you are never too senior to be mentored! 

The mentor skill set

There are a few fundamentals.  Clearly absolute confidentiality is a given.  This is why the WiP programme is so helpful for the mentee, as it is cross-discipline so takes them outside of their own organisation and, thanks to Teams or Zoom, they can be matched with someone who is miles away from their workplace and immediate network. 

Mentors also need very good listening skills, listening to the whole issue rather than jumping in too soon with their point of view.

Sometimes the mentee has difficulty opening up, even though they have committed to a mentoring partnership, so being able to ask probing questions that get to the crux of the situation is also critical.

Time well spent

It seems that the average timeframe for a mentoring relationship is around six months to a year but of course everyone is different.  I found that generally an hour or so a month for a meeting or call with my mentee was about right – there might be a few emails or quick calls in between.  I found that breaking down my mentee’s issue into manageable chunks helped her see things more clearly and enabled us to keep on track.  Eventually there is that pivotal moment when they understand what it is they need to do.  And that is incredibly rewarding for both of you.