The Power of Mentoring

Yesterday, I spent the day at the Pune Institute of Business Management (PIBM) reviewing and giving feedback to students on their Summer Internship Projects. It was an enriching experience to see the energy and motivation of these young students. At the end of the day, what stuck to me was the motivation of some students who went out of their way to seek out projects or mentors that were not made available to them readily at their internship. 

I have always believed that mentoring is extremely important for even the best of talent. We celebrated our 73rd Independence Day this week. Every year we pretty much do the same thing. Wearing a tri-colour, raising the flag, singing The Anthem, playing the same Bollywood patriotic songs, clicking selfies and pictures and posting them on social media. So what do we do different? The celebrations remain as superficial as ever. But if we can make a difference to even one person by mentoring them in their professional life, we could be contributing something significant to the future of this country. 

I attribute a large part of my success to the mentors I have had during my professional journey. As freshers, we learn a lot, on how to be and not to be, from the people around us. At times, what we see becomes the norm in our minds. However, having someone around to question and challenge our minds, can play a significant role in how we grow as individuals and perceive our environment. A mentor can help us structure our thought process, give directions and suggestions that allow us to stretch our minds and make better decisions for ourselves. 

As a fresher in KPMG, my immediate senior, Jeetendra Karani, was not only my mentor but also my friend, philosopher and guide. I can safely say that over the years, I have somewhat become a replica of him in my working as well as my mentoring style. I was fortunate to have gotten someone like him to work with, as I learnt not only how to handle my work better, but also people management, conflict management and creating one's visibility in an extremely cut-throat competitive work environment, where you are constantly seeking promotions, recognition and monetary rewards.

When I got promoted to an Assistant Manager, I had a sitting with my reporting managers (Hemal Mehta & Pranay Bhatia) for finalizing my KRAs for the year to come. This was a turning point for me, as they suggested that if I work hard that year, they believed I was a candidate suited for fast track promotion to Manager in the next cycle. And I did work hard, and they did keep their promise, thus elevating me to the next level in just one year. These mentors ensured that instead of getting complacent with my promotion, I visualized my next one and worked towards it. I had learnt the power of suggestion!

Three years ago, when I decided to pursue my executive MBA from The Univ of Chicago Booth School of Business, I was a nervous wreck, as I needed to get JLL to sponsor my time off from work to attend the sessions at Hong Kong. Times were tough and business needed extra hours. When Anuj Puri (then JLL India Chairman) heard about it, his first words to me were “Just the fact that you have thought of doing something like this, my respect for you has gone a notch up”. These words will be etched in my mind forever, and at that moment, my motivation levels touched the highest peak ever in my career till date. 

However, managing work with my studies turned out to be difficult beyond my expectations. Twice during my course, I felt so beaten down, that I had wanted to quit. If it wasn't for another mentor and my functional reporting manager at JLL, Shobhit Agarwal. Both times, he ensured that my work role was adjusted so I could create a little bit of mindspace that allowed me to carry on a little more without giving up either my career or the program. There wasn't a time when he did not acknowledge the importance of my program that was at par to my commitment at work. 

The above episodes at JLL taught me the power of empathy. 

This independence week, I want to show my gratitude to these people who have played a very important role in my career graph. They have been my mentors without they knowing it or without me expressly seeking it. And that is the most powerful form of mentorship, which happens naturally through lasting relationships. Although, I may not have taken the effort to express it enough, I believe this is a good occasion to bring my gratitude out from the back of my mind and put it on this wall, and return the same by mentoring others around me.

I commend PIBM and its chairman, Raman Preet, for making available to their students, external mentors in addition to their in-house professors that help guide and redirect students towards becoming competitive and employable. And I hope that more people step back from their busy schedules and lend their minds for mentoring the young. Just as we want our sons and daughters to progress, there are many without as much privilege or access, who can learn better from our experiences and exposure; all it takes is a little bit of time!