Generous Mentorship

It's one of the things I remember early in my career I've recognized, sometimes, like getting to another peer if I was a brand manager, they were always so busy running their businesses, I did this thing where I think at one time, when I was about to get ready to be promoted, I knew the business I was getting which was Pantene, the hair care brand, it was growing incredibly fast, and I was curious, I was naturally curious of other brands P&G had in their portfolio that went through these great growth phases, and what could I learn from them? So, I started just picking up the phone and at first, it can be a little daunting, and I started calling different people who were associated with some of the key brands at P&G, they were much more senior, and I was always amazed how no one ever refused kind of the right to give me advice, so I'd pick up the phone and say, "Can I get some tips from you? This is what I'm doing, I'm running this business, can I learn from you?" And I was always amazed by just how generous they were with their time and how willing they were to share, and I think it further emboldened me of while it might seem daunting or intimidating calling someone else, it never hurts, and it wouldn't necessarily be in your direct line of authority, it would often be people that somebody said something I found really interesting, and taking that investment to get to know them. Those are where often I got the best mentors I've had over the years, has been people that I was able to connect with in a much more authentic way than just getting assigned a mentor.

That's such great advice, especially for younger people, right, who may feel intimidated in terms of reaching out and thinking, oh, they won't want to hear from me, it will be a no, and let fear govern that process.

That's right, and I think it just takes a couple icebreakers like that where you get some positive reinforcement and it's kind of further emboldens you to say, "You know, I," and even if you get an occasional rejection because someone is too busy, don't let that hold you back. I'd say keep reaching out, keep trying to learn and engage with people.