#PoweringYourCareer with Mentoring : A two-way street!

Continuing our series on mentoring, lets focus this month on what you, as a mentee, can do to nurture the relationship and make it work. Mentoring is a two-way street. There are significant gets but there definitely are gives as well. A mentor learns as much as you do in the process. 

Here are a few things I learnt that could help you drive a win-win interaction with your mentor. 

1. Respect their time and be consistent: Ensure that you keep the commitment to meet your mentors regularly (based on an agreed cadence) and respect their time. Get to the meeting a few minutes before time and send them a thank you note every time you have a conversation that helps you professionally or personally.

2. Set the agenda:
Another way to make the most of the time you have with your mentor is to set the agenda. Initially I would struggle with putting together conversation topics at the last minute which would result in aimless discussions that didn’t benefit anyone. Since then I started maintaining a note (I use Microsoft OneNote, of course!) where I jot down thoughts, questions and ideas as I go through a work week. This includes instances at work that I would like an opinion on or any new ideas that I want to bounce off my mentor. This ensures I have a set of topics ready when my meeting comes up.

3. Bring something to the table: One of the things I also like doing is to discuss industry trends and news. When I read something through the week that I want to talk about, I make a note and have my reading recommendations ready to share with my mentor. Some of these discussions could lead to ideas for either of your work projects. For example, I remember a conversation on data driven marketing with a mentor that led to us creating a framework for a project that his team was working on.

Like I said earlier, mentoring needs to be mutually beneficial for it to be sustainable. As a mentee, you own the relationship and the conversation – how you drive it will ensure that everyone comes out gaining something from it. 

I'd love to hear your experiences as a mentor or a mentee! You can leave a comment here or email me at poweringbrands@gmail.com 

Image courtesy: Canva

Campaign Watch: Oriflame’s #SkinResolutions2018

Oriflame launched its new Optimals range with Swedish natural ingredients that provides a tailored solution to specific skincare needs. The brand video is beautifully shot. Check it out on their Beauty Diaries microsite here. 

As a part of the launch, Oriflame set up a social campaign in January to get users to take their #SkinResolutions2018 with a chance to win the new Optimals products all through January. Users needed to select from a list of resolutions and generate a personalized skin resolution image that they could share on social media.

Social media posts from their brand endorser Kalki Koechlin was a great tactic that helped accelerate the campaign and provide visibility. 

Considering Oriflame is a multi-level marketing company, social media and digital campaigns like this are a great tool to increase footprint and generate leads.

Campaign Watch: Adidas #ORIGINALS is never finished

The thing about a good concept in advertising is that it continues to give, year after year, season after season.

In a bid to continue building upon (iterating and creating, as the thematic puts it!) their very successful and award winning ‘#ORIGINALS is never finished’ campaign, Adidas Originals has come up with a new brand film for Spring 2018 partnering with 10 of the world’s most influential creators including Dua Lipa, Playboi Carti, Nick Young and A$AP Ferg, targeting a new generation of Adidas customers.



The campaign continues the good work Adidas started with a focus on originality and the need to continue to build upon ‘what came before to create what will come next’. This is metaphorical for the brand promise and the product range that is an extension and refresh from last season.

YouTube is of course at the front end of the digital campaign and leads to the very visual Adidas Originals website.  

Rich Media Watch: The Greatest Showman on IMDB

I’ve been loving the rich media takeovers on IMDB lately.

Here is ‘The Greatest Showman’ takeover on the movie page. Well executed and totally immerses you in the larger than life characters that the movie celebrates.

#PoweringYourCareer with Mentoring : Navigate the career you always wanted!

This is the first of my #PoweringYourCareer series in 2018. In this series, every month, I will share the experiences I’ve had and what I’ve learnt through my 15 years of corporate life, in the hope that this will help some of you. Let me know if there is a topic that interests you, you can email me at: poweringbrands@gmail.com

The first in the series is about Mentoring. I will confess, I’ve been a laggard with jumping on the mentoring bandwagon. For a long time I would hear stories from my co-workers and friends about how their mentors at work would help them with their career and day-to-day work issues. Now, after a few years of having mentored new hires and having discovered inspiring mentors myself, I understand what the din was all about.

The benefits of having a mentor are manifold, especially if you choose wisely. Here are three scenarios where I’ve found mentoring to be really helpful:

1. Get a Head start: Look for mentors who inspire you or have a career path that you would like to emulate. These leaders can provide you with invaluable insights from their own journey that will help you learn from the mistakes they made or what they did right. Of course every journey is different, but their stories can give you ideas to accelerate your career.

2. Plan your Next step: Identify mentors who lead teams you want to be a part of. The time you spend with your mentor can help them understand your skill sets and assess you as a potential hire and it also gives you an opportunity to understand whether it is indeed the team you want to work for. When you are ready to make the next move or when an opportunity opens up in their team, you will be well positioned. In times of job instability and org restructuring, having leaders that could guide you and potentially hire you is a great asset to have.

3. Learn and Grow: Having a mentor definitely helps us learn and grow in our careers. Talking to someone more experienced brings forth perspectives we might not have thought of, opens the door to experiences we might not have considered before. I’ve had mentors talk to me about books they read, conferences they like to attend, challenges they look for at work, non-profits they work with, things they are passionate about outside of work etc., all of which help me become a better professional and person.

What has been your experience with mentors?


Image courtesy: Canva