My Mentoring Journey, Gavin Morden, Chief Mentor at Future Leaders

A few years ago, (probably more than I care to mention now), a more senior colleague who was working with me as a contractor at the time and who I’d gotten to know reasonably well, asked whether I’d be interested in being mentored. I’d had line managers in the past who’d spent time devising personal development plans with me, but no one had ever asked me that question outside of the line management structure before.

I was incredibly grateful and indeed honoured to be asked, but also unclear as to why they’d done so - had they seen something missing in the way that I was working or was it something else? Indeed, the underlying question for me was why would they offer to invest their hugely valuable time to mentor me, what was in it for them and was I genuinely worth it? 

As someone who suffered (and still suffers) with imposter syndrome, the sense of feeling worthy enough to justify a Mentor was difficult to me, however, the offer was there and the answer I gave was ‘yes’. It turned out that this response changed everything for me going forward and has taken me on a mentoring journey throughout my career - both as a Mentee and Mentor.   

It quickly became clear that my concerns around why they’d offered the mentoring opportunity were not based on some negative ulterior motive. Indeed, my new Mentor had reached out as they’d seen something in me that was potentially worth developing, in a similar way as a Mentor they’d had previously had taken the time to do so with them.That’s the thing about mentoring, it has the capacity to be an continuous cycle, as Mentors pay back those that have mentored them in the past and pay it forward to the next generation to hopefully become future Mentors too - developing an unbroken chain of Mentor-Mentee-Mentor.   

I embraced the mentoring that I kindly received, recognising that the Mentor was giving freely of their time and the sharing of their experiences. It became a trusted relationship as we got to know each other in a new way, I listened, questioned and was challenged with new thoughts and recommendations, often being set tasks to try as homework between sessions to put into practise what we’d discussed. I was introduced to new techniques and was able to develop some of the key leadership skills that I’d need as I developed my career. These formative mentoring sessions played a key role in gaining an understanding of the importance in taking the time to invest in others, be they a member of your own Team or someone else who could benefit from advice or support.  

This was the first in a number of Mentors who kindly stepped in to support me across my career as I changed roles and industries. Each one added something new and provided a different perspective that I was able to weave into the way I operated. I didn’t necessarily agree with every piece of advice given, but it was essential to listen and learn from them and select my own path for myself. 

Then the opportunity came to become a Mentor myself and it came reactively. I was asked by another Manager whether I’d be open to mentoring one of their Team. Again, the same imposter syndrome response raised its head - why would they bother asking me, what had I got to offer, would I be able to provide anything useful or worthwhile? But again, the opportunity was there and I said yes. I thought back to the mentoring sessions and the various Mentors that I’d had in the past, how they’d run the sessions, what I’d learned, what I’d been asked, what had been shared with me - and used them as role models to plan from. So, it began, my first tentative steps into being a Mentor, and as I became more experienced, I found my own skills and capabilities also developed further, my questioning, challenging, story-telling, problem-solving and presenting. It became clear that the Mentor/Mentee relationship is truly symbiotic and both parties get back as much as they put in. 

However, just because I started as a Mentor, didn’t stop me from also continuing to be a Mentee. It became even more essential to continue my own personal growth and development and I was then able to further pass down the knowledge and experience to my Mentee too from my own Mentor. 

These steps have continued as I’ve become more Senior, it’s become clear to me that we have a duty to support the next generation and invest the time in those who want to learn and develop in whatever small way we can. It’s the path that has brought me to Future Leaders Mentoring and to a group of people who have a shared ambition to give of themselves to develop the capabilities and skills of others. I’m constantly in awe of our Mentor community, the experience, talent and energy that they all have to support others on their journeys is truly inspiring. We’ve created a community of like-minded individuals who share the same goal to give back and our Mentee community is thriving as a result. 

Through mentoring, we’re able to ensure that the talents of individuals are developed further, careers are invested in beyond their current roles and that we all feel part of something bigger than ourselves. We’re part of a community who have a shared sense of purpose in that we want everyone to succeed, enabling us all to share in the success of each other, rather than focusing solely on ourselves. You could call it altruism, but for me, it’s simply about caring and supporting someone else on their personal journey and by continuing the Mentor-Mentee-Mentor chain, we can ensure that we develop the leaders of the future and they then do the same themselves. Being a Mentor is a true privilege and to see the development and progression of someone else has been, and continues to be, incredibly satisfying. 

So, I thank my lucky stars that I was fortunate to be offered a Mentor early in my career and would encourage everyone to sign up to be either a Mentor or Mentee with Future Leaders. We all have so much to learn and so much to offer - so why not come and join us, all you need to do is take a breath and say ‘yes’!