Changing a Life Through Mentorship

Did you have a mentor yourself while you were rising through the ranks at VSP? Who was it? And what would you say are the characteristics that made that mentoring relationship so successful?

The person who comes to mind is Elaine Leuchars. So Elaine led our HR team. She was the head of our chief HR office. She definitely was a sounding board for me to ask questions and get advice. She also told me things and gave me feedback that maybe other people wouldn’t have. And I think that is really important, is to have those mentors, whether they’re peers or others, who can give you feedback that you need to hear and also push you in areas.
And going back to your question about being comfortable being uncomfortable. She really pushed me to put myself out there, to take on responsibilities that I might have thought, “No, I don’t check all the boxes yet.” And so that was really helpful to me in my career. And I think it definitely has made a difference in just how I look at mentoring others and supporting others in their development.