“In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.”
Maya Angelou
A fair question that many of us start to think about as we grow in our careers: how can I provide value as a mentor to those around me?
Forging a mentorship that nurtures growth is impactful, not just for the mentee but for the mentor as well! At Protiviti, we value mentoring relationships and have a unique structure to our advisor program, which is inclusive of every employee. Our advisor program, a three-tiered structure, includes an executive, career, and peer advisor — and each plays an important part in their mentee’s career development. The goal for those advisors? Help your advisee to maximizing their potential by being a positive influence, providing feedback, and sharing experiences.
So, what exactly is the recipe for an amazing mentor? And how do we provide those individuals with the resources they need to succeed in the role of advisor?
Recently, our Dallas office held an offering of the bi-annual ‘Impactful Advisor Training’. The training covered a number of areas including a kick-off, review of resources and tools, panel Q&A and breakout discussions. We had the chance to catch up with a couple of the panelists to gain their insight.
Protiviti Insight
“A great advisor is one who listens! As you get to know your advisee, ask that person 
what drives them to be successful on their projects and what their interests are. Then, be sure to help those individuals to advocate for themselves. One piece of important advice that I’ve received and passed on to my advisees is to manage up. By sitting down with your project managers at the beginning of an engagement and asking: ‘what can I do to make this project a success?’, you better understand how and where you can make an impact. That same piece of advice holds true in learning to be a great mentor — you need to understand the individual you are advising and what they are looking for in an advisor. Communication is a healthy way to nurture this relationship.” – Abby, Senior Manager
“An advisor should be an advocate and career champion. Be a good listener and be willing, not only to coach and guide your advisee toward their desired career path, but also to share insights from your own career that you found to be helpful. In addition, be sure to proactively check in throughout the year to ensure your advisee is gaining the experiences they need to progress. Last but not least, equip yourself with what you need to both ask and answer the tough questions.” – Soo, Manager
Protiviti has many available resources aimed at helping our advisors to succeed in their role, including an online learning center filled with information such as guides to providing effective feedback, trainings on how to conduct career checkpoints and more! We understand that the power of impactful mentors goes far beyond the day-to-day responsibilities. Strong mentors create growth opportunities for both the individual they are coaching and for themselves, all while perpetuating a culture of trust. Our goal at Protiviti is that we can provide our people with the tools and resources they need to have that impact and empower them to build meaningful relationships across our firm. Now that’s #LivingProtiviti.
Join Our Team!
We’re looking for more great people – come join us on our journey! For meaningful career opportunities and open positions, visit Protiviti.com/careers.
