Looking for a Surrogate Manager-cum-Mentor

I’ve been at my company for 7 weeks and have started working on some tickets and pair programming. I finally feel like I’m contributing, getting to know the team and being a team player.

I’ve also been seeking volunteering opportunities at and outside of work as I’m someone who can’t sit still so I try to apply myself and be a multi disciplinary generalist. This will help me understand the wider organisation and see the bigger picture. It’ll also allow me to explore my interests and values. Some of my interests are site reliability, machine learning, and nature.

Volunteering and collaborating is a great way to be a mentor or mentee with like minded people. This is my preferred option because meetings are intentional with a clear purpose and it feels like time is well utilised. I like tangible results and we have a focal point to discuss.

Don’t get me wrong, mentoring doesn’t always involve collaboration. It can be a regular catch-up with someone reliable and qualified to give impartial advice or lend a sympathetic ear in confidence. Though this requires a bit more empathy and chemistry.

Do watch out for pitfalls in mentoring. I’ve been mentored before where it felt transactional and that I was the product and when I did ask for advice on the rare occasion, I think my mentor panicked, didn’t answer my question and coached me in an unfavourable direction instead of being customer-focussed, which is sad because you’re opening up to someone, giving them privileged access to your thoughts. If you’re a mentor who doesn’t know all the answers, it’s ok to be honest and refer to another mentor or explain this is beyond your scope. This will manage expectations better and take away the anxiety that you have to come up with all the answers. It’s ok to give the mentee space to listen and reflect on your recommendations.

I’m keen to hear your experience of being a mentor or mentee. Are you seeking a mentor or thinking of becoming one? What type of mentoring works for you, active or passive?

You’ve been listening to Data with Beau. Until next time, take care.