Every month, we ask our mentees and mentors about their mentoring experience. In May, we spoke to Laura Meadowcroft, a Senior Finance Manager at Sainsbury’s, who got paired up with her mentor, Lana Vukovic, a Finance Director Serbia / Croatia at DXC Technology. During their mentoring journey, they discussed not only various topics such as personal branding and communication styles and worked on a plan to help Laura become a better leader within the financial sector, but also share some tips on how to make the most of mentoring. Continue reading to find out how having a mentor can positively influence your career.
Laura: I was looking for a mentoring programme where I could learn and bounce ideas off someone who has developed their career in Finance. I came across the Femme Palette scheme and the positive reviews from previous people who had taken part so was keen to find out more.
Lana: I joined FP mentoring program following the recommendation of Lenka Holá Toul; who I met virtually on one QUBE event where I participated as a speaker . Before this, I had experience in mentoring programs in Serbia, but this is my first international experience in mentoring.
Laura: Providing a really structured way of looking at key topics such as personal branding, communication styles and influencing.
The conversations and material have really helped me think about these topics in more detail and start to use some of the practical tips in my day-to-day work. I know they will be invaluable in the future.
Lana: Every time you have a conversation with someone, you learn something new, something about people's behaviour, their motivations, and most importantly you learn something about yourself. This mentoring experience was really an enrichment for me as well.
Lana: I was impressed by Laura’s positive energy that radiates even virtually, and by her determination to succeed.
Laura: Having a clear idea of what you want to talk about with your mentor and being willing to learn and invest time in your own development.
Lana: A great mentor is the one that follows the mentee on the path to success, with patience , listening and reacting to the mentee's needs, and is able to transfer knowledge and the leadership skills.
Laura: I have found it a great experience and having regular structured time set aside to speak with my mentor has been really beneficial.
Lana: This was an extremely good experience, congrats to the Femme Palette team for flawless organisation of the process, I enjoyed this programme a lot! You are just great!
Laura: I think it's really important to be open and honest with your mentor and build a good relationship throughout the scheme so that they can understand you and areas you are looking to develop further.
Lana: Trust is the most important thing for any relationship. Be open and honest to you and your mentee! It is contagious!
Laura: It's so valuable to be able to talk to an experienced mentor and learn from their experiences. I'd really recommend anyone thinking about it to get involved.
At Femme Palette, we believe that the best way to grow is through partnering with people who, like our mentors, were once in the same situation. Let mentors use their years of experience to guide you through your career or personal development journey.
If you would like to join our mentoring program, apply here as a mentee or here as a mentor. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.
