One of the things we’re proud of at Femme Palette is the wonderful community of mentors we’ve built over the years. Experienced professionals from a variety of industries work with us to share their experience and help (not only) women grow in their careers.
We spoke to some of our most active mentors Monique, Daria, Hana, and Petra, who have all guided three or more mentees towards their career goals in our program. We asked them about the benefits of being a mentor, the best parts of the experience, and the impact mentoring can have on one’s career. Come meet them and learn more about mentoring from their unique points of view!
Hana Souckova, Managing Director at SAP
How has being a mentor benefitted you professionally?
Hana: Being a mentor means to me venturing out of my "SAP bubble" to get a holistic view of the current trends and situation on the market. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to connect with people from various industries on many management levels and hear about their experiences and leadership ideas because then I can apply these to my work as well.
What has been the highlight of your mentoring experience?
Hana: The highlight always is to see my mentees thrive. Sometimes, they surprise me with how proactively they have leveraged the ideas we had discussed. I feel very lucky and grateful to be the one helping them with their progress.
What impact, in your opinion, can mentoring have on a mentee's career?
Hana: If the mentees are willing to put their heart into it, mentoring can help them develop their careers because the one-to-one sessions are tailored to their needs. You could be entering a new position in a new company, and mentoring helps you to make the role your own and develop a new career path. Or you could feel stuck in your current role, and mentoring helps you find new motivation rather than leaving the company.
Monique Elwell, President & COO at Storyvine, Inc.
How has being a mentor benefitted you professionally?
Monique: In two ways, one of my mentors presented me with some really complicated problems. I was concerned that I couldn't help them, but in the end, they felt I added quite a lot of value. That gave me the confidence to regard myself professionally in a better light and feel more confident about seeking out board positions. Additionally, I've received introductions from mentees that have really helped out my existing work.
What has been the highlight of your mentoring experience?
Monique: Getting to know people on a personal basis and learning about their lives have been a highlight, but the best is when you can see on their face how much I've helped them, especially when they're dealing with very stressful situations.
What impact, in your opinion, can mentoring have on a mentee's career?
Monique: It's a bit like a hand up. They can climb the ladder themselves but you can do it much faster with help.
Daria Somova, Business Owner at Move To Prague Relocation Services s.r.o.
How has being a mentor benefitted you professionally?
Daria: I am in the process of starting a career as a psychotherapist, and working with people who often experience Imposter syndrome, or perfectionism tendencies followed by procrastination, or simple fear of success, has been helping me address these issues and work with them in a right manner.
What has been the highlight of your mentoring experience?
Daria: It is always the success of my mentees, and also I love to see how women become kinder to themselves, more patient. I love the moment when my mentee shares with me that they tried something, went for it, and then it actually worked! It is always full of emotions and hopes.
What impact, in your opinion, can mentoring have on a mentee's career?
Daria: Most importantly is that they can figure out what it is they really want and evaluate whether it is a right path for them. A lot of times we are after an illusion of success based on wrong reasons, and mentoring can help the person look at themselves from a different perspective.
Petra Ledvinkova, Talent Development Program Manager at MSD Czech Republic s.r.o.
How has being a mentor benefitted you professionally?
Petra: For me it is a very enriching experience helping people on their way to success. Meeting and having discussions with people from diverse industrial sectors and company cultures gives me a lot of inspiration and insights for professional work.
What has been the highlight of your mentoring experience?
Petra: My mentee told me that our discussions are helping him not only for work/ business topics but also in his private life. Besides achieving his mentoring goals our discussions also gave him food for thinking about how to improve the quality of communication with his wife.
What impact, in your opinion, can mentoring have on a mentee's career?
Petra: Mentoring is a powerful tool that helps mentees to unlock their potential, stretch over their comfort zone and achieve ambitious goals.
Are you thinking of becoming a mentor yourself? Take our mentor quiz to find out if you have what it takes or go straight ahead and apply now to enter our selection process!
Would you like to grow professionally by working with a mentor? Check out our Mentoring programs and get matched with your personal mentor from Femme Palette’s global community of professionals.
