SF IABC’s Mentoring Program a Resounding Success
Pilot wins participants’ rave reviews as coordinators recruit for “round two” starting in Fall 2010
Originally published in the June 2010 newsletter of the International Association of Business Communicators (San Francisco Chapter
Would you like personalized support from a seasoned communications expert who can help you define and reach your career goals? Or, are you an old hand with years of experience who wants to share your wisdom with the next generation of leaders? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then SF-IABC’s Mentoring Program can help!
As a free resource available to all SF-IABC members, the Mentoring Program carefully matches mentors with mentees in mutually-beneficial partnerships that foster skill building, professional growth and community connections. Participants then schedule meetings at least monthly for six months, either in person or by phone, to discuss the mentee’s career objectives and create a concrete plan for achieving them. Having recently passed the halfway mark of its first year, the program has already proven successful, with a survey administered to the eight pairs of mentors and mentees indicating that 100% of respondents would recommend the program to others and consider participating in the next round.
Jane Jordan-Meier, the initiator and director of the Mentoring Program, is proud of the project’s progress. “I am extremely pleased at the midpoint of the program,” she said. “It’s definitely meeting the goals we set, which means so far, so good.” But even more persuasive than the survey results are participants’ positive personal testimonies — mentees’ in particular. Jordan-Meier’s own mentee, Marla Pugh, offered effusive praise for both the program and her adviser.
“Benefiting from the guidance of someone with many more years of experience in the business is like having a secret weapon at my workplace,” Pugh said. “Jane is a great sounding board: her input helps me handle challenging situations better, and she has opened my mind to new ways of looking at my role as a Communications Manager. Her guidance often validates my instincts and ideas, giving me the confidence to try different approaches.”
Another mentee, Elisabetta Ghisini, a communications industry veteran with two decades of experience, joined the program to connect with someone who could help her make a career transition to full-time consulting. According to Ghisini, her mentor provides invaluable strategic and tactical advice that has enabled her to see the “big picture” more clearly. “She has helped me with practical matters like how to generate new business, and introduced me to many interesting colleagues,” Ghisini said. “Our conversations and the peer-to-peer confirmation I receive from her continually motivate me to reach my objectives.”
Those on the mentoring side of the program, like Marketing Communications Manager Sue Stoney, are also quick to proclaim the rewards of volunteering their time as mentors. “Everything in my experience tells me that this is a valuable program for mentor and mentee alike,” Stoney said. “Both benefit from the experience in ways you can’t predict going into it.”
SF-IABC is now accepting applications for the Mentorship Program’s next round beginning in Fall 2010. If you’d like to participate, fill out the on-line application form and email it to Jane Jordan-Meier. To learn more, call her at 707-386-9864 or 707-646-2897.
Originally published in the June 2010 newsletter of the International Association of Business Communicators (San Francisco Chapter
Would you like personalized support from a seasoned communications expert who can help you define and reach your career goals? Or, are you an old hand with years of experience who wants to share your wisdom with the next generation of leaders? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then SF-IABC’s Mentoring Program can help!
As a free resource available to all SF-IABC members, the Mentoring Program carefully matches mentors with mentees in mutually-beneficial partnerships that foster skill building, professional growth and community connections. Participants then schedule meetings at least monthly for six months, either in person or by phone, to discuss the mentee’s career objectives and create a concrete plan for achieving them. Having recently passed the halfway mark of its first year, the program has already proven successful, with a survey administered to the eight pairs of mentors and mentees indicating that 100% of respondents would recommend the program to others and consider participating in the next round.
Jane Jordan-Meier, the initiator and director of the Mentoring Program, is proud of the project’s progress. “I am extremely pleased at the midpoint of the program,” she said. “It’s definitely meeting the goals we set, which means so far, so good.” But even more persuasive than the survey results are participants’ positive personal testimonies — mentees’ in particular. Jordan-Meier’s own mentee, Marla Pugh, offered effusive praise for both the program and her adviser.
“Benefiting from the guidance of someone with many more years of experience in the business is like having a secret weapon at my workplace,” Pugh said. “Jane is a great sounding board: her input helps me handle challenging situations better, and she has opened my mind to new ways of looking at my role as a Communications Manager. Her guidance often validates my instincts and ideas, giving me the confidence to try different approaches.”
Another mentee, Elisabetta Ghisini, a communications industry veteran with two decades of experience, joined the program to connect with someone who could help her make a career transition to full-time consulting. According to Ghisini, her mentor provides invaluable strategic and tactical advice that has enabled her to see the “big picture” more clearly. “She has helped me with practical matters like how to generate new business, and introduced me to many interesting colleagues,” Ghisini said. “Our conversations and the peer-to-peer confirmation I receive from her continually motivate me to reach my objectives.”
Those on the mentoring side of the program, like Marketing Communications Manager Sue Stoney, are also quick to proclaim the rewards of volunteering their time as mentors. “Everything in my experience tells me that this is a valuable program for mentor and mentee alike,” Stoney said. “Both benefit from the experience in ways you can’t predict going into it.”
SF-IABC is now accepting applications for the Mentorship Program’s next round beginning in Fall 2010. If you’d like to participate, fill out the on-line application form and email it to Jane Jordan-Meier. To learn more, call her at 707-386-9864 or 707-646-2897.
