Importance of Mentorship

Think back to your first day on the job or when you were asked to take on something new. How did you feel? Maybe you were eager, but unsure where to start? Or maybe you had to fake it until you (hopefully) made it? Now, imagine if someone had been there to show you the ropes—the nuances, the unspoken rules, and the advice you needed to navigate the tasks and challenges. Maybe then you wouldn't have struggled with so many questions about why you were there and whether you were in over your head. This is why mentorship is so important. It guides people through the bumps, helping them find their footing faster than they would on their own. For younger or first-generation workers, this kind of support can be the difference between thriving and leaving. It’s also how organizations build strength from the inside out. Teams that mentor each other elevate one another. They push each other to step up, speak up, and grow. And the results speak for themselves: stronger cultures, better retention, and a workforce aligned and ready for the next challenge. If you're not investing in mentorship, you're leaving the best parts of your talent untapped.

Never underestimate the person in front of you – they might just hold the lesson you need most? One of the biggest misconceptions in leadership is thinking that mentorship only flows one way, from the older, more experienced person down to the younger, less experienced one. The truth? Mentorship is a two-way street. When we think of mentorship, we often imagine one person pouring wisdom into another – the experienced guiding the inexperienced, the teacher shaping the student, the leader lifting the follower. But life has taught me something different: mentorship is not a one-way transaction. It is an exchange. Early in my career, I thought I had to seek out people who were “ahead” of me – people who looked like what I wanted to become. And yes, those relationships mattered. But over time, I realized I was also being mentored by people I didn’t expect: a colleague who came from a background far removed from my own and saw the world through a lens I had never considered, the quiet intern who asked a question I hadn’t thought of, even my children, who see the world through fresh eyes and remind me that leadership is also about humility. I’ve learned some of my greatest lessons not from boardrooms or textbooks, but from conversations with people others might underestimate. If I had walked into those moments with the mindset that “I know more,” I would have missed out on wisdom that changed the way I lead and live. The greatest leaders I know are not just those who inspire others, they are the ones humble enough to be inspired themselves. They listen. They stay curious. They ask, “What can I learn from this person?” even when the world tells them they should already have the answers. Never underestimate someone. Not because it’s “the right thing to do” but because the moment you underestimate someone; you cut yourself off from growth. You block yourself from seeing the value they carry. And when you stop learning, you stop evolving. Real mentorship isn’t about status. It’s about exchange. And the moment you open yourself up to that exchange, you’ll discover just how much you still have to learn.  Ask yourself – what can I learn from the person beside me? And more importantly, am I willing to listen deeply enough to hear the answer? Rethink how you see mentorship. Don't just seek people who can open doors for you. Pay attention to those who remind you to see the world differently. Because leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about being brave enough to admit you don't and wise enough to learn from anyone, anywhere, at any time. 

I was doing a reference check for a senior engineer role recently. The manager shared something that stopped me in my tracks. When they started in their leadership role, they discovered associates who'd been there for 3 years. Same position. Same work. Management had written them off as a "sunk cost." They weren't paying attention to them. Just throwing them in the mix to triage tickets. But this manager saw something different. They built competency frameworks. Not fancy programs. Just clear structure showing what "good" looked like at each level. L&D pathways that gave associates authorisation to upskill. One associate churned out 2 to 3 certifications in 3 months whilst doing their day job. Started leading internal initiatives. Getting brilliant feedback. The promotion became a no-brainer. But only because someone actually helped them advocate for themselves. And the best part? Once promoted, this engineer immediately turned around and started mentoring the associates coming up behind them. Your associates aren't underperforming because they lack capability. They're underperforming because you lack structure. This isn't just about being a good leader. This is succession planning. When your senior engineers leave or get promoted, who's ready to step up? If you're not developing your associates now, you'll be hiring externally at a premium later. What's one change you've made that's had the biggest impact on developing your junior engineers?

One of the most meaningful responsibilities of leadership is helping others grow. I have been reflecting on the value of mentorship and the role it can play in shaping a meaningful and impactful career. This is something I have seen recently with my colleagues in Morocco. Through a recent mentorship program, colleagues from Capgemini's female leadership team have been mentoring young women across the country, with more than 80% of mentees going on to internships with the company. What stands out to me is that mentorship is not only about opening doors. It is about building confidence, sharing perspectives and helping people see what is possible. And for mentors, the experience can be just as valuable, challenging our thinking, broadening our own learning and strengthening how we lead. I believe it’s one of the most powerful ways we can invest in future talent. Whether you are a mentor, a mentee, or still considering either of these options, taking the time to learn from others can help individuals at all levels of an organization. How has mentorship shaped your career? https://lnkd.in/ee8JzNe7

Most engineers use open source every single day. But the ones who contribute to it- especially early- end up with a profile that's just different from everyone else in the room. Google Summer of Code is one of the most structured ways to get there. Google pays you to contribute to real, production-level open source projects over 3 months. You build in public, you work on actual codebases, and it's one of those opportunities that can genuinely change the trajectory of an engineering career. So when I found out that 13 students from Scaler School of Technology made it to GSoC this year, I wanted to understand what actually worked for them. What makes it even more unique is that GSoC isn't just for students. Working professionals participate too, which makes every selection from a college batch much more meaningful. SST built a mentorship culture that solves for the three things that hold most students back. 🔸Awareness- Knowing that this opportunity exists and that it is genuinely meant for someone like you. 🔸Navigation- Understanding how the process works, what a strong proposal looks like, and how to approach the right open source organizations. 🔸Belief- Actually believing you have a shot at it. The mentors at SST focused on exactly these three things. They didn't write proposals. They didn't do the work for anyone. They made the path visible, stayed close as accountability partners, and let the learners take full ownership. What made it compound further was SST's peer-mentorship model-  students who went through the process last year mentored this year's batch. The 2 mentors in this cohort were learners themselves not long ago. That's a great way to build a culture- not by telling people it's possible, but by showing them someone exactly like them already did it. 13 students got in this year- 2 as mentors, 11 as contributors. They showed up, did the work, and now they'll be contributing to codebases that millions of engineers use every day. For a college that's only a few years old, having GSoC selections back to back is not a small thing. It means something real is being built here. If you're an engineering student who just found out GSoC exists, do give it a try the next time! Kshitij Mishra Abhimanyu Saxena Vidit Jain Manmeet Singh Akali

Mentoring is one of the most powerful relationships we can build. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring some truly remarkable individuals—both formally and informally—and it’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my career journey. It’s not just about offering guidance or helping someone overcome challenges. It’s about nurturing leadership, elevating others and fostering a culture where everyone feels like they belong, where every voice is heard and where everyone is empowered to succeed. Earlier this week, we celebrated MentorHer Day, marking not just the conclusion of many mentorship journeys, but the start of something far greater. Since the programme’s launch in 2018, we’ve mentored over 1,000 women, helping them step into leadership roles, broaden their skills and grow in confidence. And the impact doesn’t end there—together, we’re creating a ripple effect of empowerment that will resonate far into the future. This isn’t just a programme—it’s a promise to help women dream bigger, aim higher and achieve more than they ever thought possible. Listening to the personal stories shared on MentorHer Day, I was deeply moved. These are my three key takeaways – and not just about what mentorship gives, but what it asks of us:         • Mentorship can build lifelong relationships When the formal mentorship relationship ends, the bonds and connections formed during that time don’t have to. Cultivating authentic, personal connections—a safe space where mentees can be open about their dreams and aspirations—can build relationships which grow into enduring bonds and friendships that transcend the workplace. • Mentorship is a two-way street The real beauty of mentorship lies in its reciprocity. Every time I mentor someone, I gain fresh perspectives—not just about them, but about myself and my own leadership style. Mentorship holds up a mirror, allowing us to see where we, too, can grow and improve. No two mentorships are ever the same and that’s what makes mentorship so much fun! Some of my best mentorship moments have happened outside the traditional office setting – treadmill meetings or a cozy coffee shop where the usual hierarchy fades away and both mentor and mentee can contribute equally to the journey.  • Mentorship is about paying it forward The true power of mentorship lies in its ripple effect. When mentees become mentors themselves, they create a legacy of empowerment—passing on the confidence, tools and sense of possibility that encourages the next generation to achieve even more than they once believed possible. That’s the true power of paying it forward.    To all mentors and mentees, you are the heartbeat of initiatives such as these. You’re not just creating opportunities—you’re helping shape futures. Thank you for being part of something so impactful. As I said on stage: Let’s keep making waves.

"I Almost Quit." Not because I wasn’t good enough. Not because I wasn’t ambitious. But because I felt alone. I looked around and saw no one like me. I second-guessed my ideas in meetings. I wondered if I even belonged in this space. And I’m not the only one. Women make up half the workforce but hold less than 30% of technical roles. And here’s the real problem: they’re leaving. 💡 Only 27.6% of the tech workforce is female 💡 Women with mentors are 77% more likely to stay 💡 Formal mentorship programs increase leadership diversity by 20% Here’s what those stats don’t show: 💡 The woman who almost quit because she felt invisible—until someone advocated for her. 💡 The junior engineer who hesitated to speak up in meetings—until a mentor gave her the confidence to own her voice. 💡 The aspiring leader didn’t see anyone who looked like her in the room—until someone pulled up a chair and made space. Mentorship isn’t just about guidance. It’s about belonging. The best mentors don’t just share knowledge—they see potential before it’s proven. They create opportunities, break down barriers, and challenge the biases that hold people back. Because sometimes, all it takes is one person who believes in you to change the trajectory of your career. PS - If you are in a leading position, make sure you make everyone feel seen.

Mentorship changed my life long before I ever called myself a mentor. When I first moved to the U.S., I didn’t have a roadmap. I didn’t know how careers worked here, how to navigate corporate spaces, or how to find opportunities that weren’t visible in my community. What I had were people who took the time to say: “You belong here. Let me show you what’s possible.” That kind of mentorship doesn’t just transfer knowledge. It transfers belief. And belief is powerful. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that mentoring isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating space for someone to see their own potential more clearly than they did before. Sometimes that looks like a conversation after work. Sometimes it’s feedback on a resume. Sometimes it’s introducing someone to a room they didn’t know they could walk into. And sometimes it’s building something bigger. That’s exactly why I started doing this years ago, to make sure that access to career guidance, mentorship, and opportunity isn’t limited to a few people in the right rooms. Today, this community has reached 20,000+ people globally, and the mission remains simple: make sure the next generation doesn’t have to figure everything out alone. The work that some of us are doing doesn’t go unnoticed. Take a look at one of my friends - Mak Ahmad, PhD and his work mentoring sophomore students through MIT’s Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program. The way he describes guiding students through challenges, disagreements, and pressure, and watching them grow in confidence through that process is exactly what mentorship is about. It’s leaders taking the time to invest in the next generation and creating environments where people learn to trust themselves. Mentorship doesn’t have to look like one thing. What matters is that somewhere, someone walks away believing they’re more capable than they thought. And when that happens, the ripple effect can last for years. Let’s keep encouraging mentorship as a way of connection, and change the narrative. #StephSynergy

Early in your career, physical proximity beats almost everything else. When I look back, the deepest accelerations in my own growth, shifting how I think, build, or lead, nearly always happened when I was physically around those more experienced than me. At AWS, Microsoft, and all my other employment, I often sat in rooms where I was the least senior or knowledgeable. Nothing in a virtual classroom taught me how to speak to executives on the spot, handle high stakes conflict, or observe how seasoned engineers behave under pressure. That everyday osmosis mattered. The evidence reinforces this. Thomas Allen’s MIT research showed that meaningful interaction decreases sharply with distance dropping dramatically beyond fifty metres. Even today, those patterns hold, despite digital tools. Remote teams produce three times weaker performance links compared to face to face interaction, the quality of discussion contributes twice as much to effectiveness than frequency does. This isn’t a remote‑work rebuke. Life, health, location, family responsibilities, all those factors matter. But if you can be present, formally or informally, choose it. Ambient learning, corridor conversations, sudden brainstorming, they don’t always translate over video. Likewise, if you’re further along, your presence isn’t a favour, it’s stewardship. You don’t need to mentor deliberately or run formal programmes. Simply being open, accessible, interruptible, for the person watching you - that’s enough. They won’t just learn skills. They’ll learn what professionalism, emotional resilience, systems thinking, even what being calm under fire looks like. So here’s the ask: If you’re early in your career or switching disciplines, wherever possible, be near the people you can learn from. And if you’re more experienced, stay in the room. Be the example. Be the sounding board. Be the doorway you once needed. That’s how we ensure visibility into what comes next for all of us.

Never underestimate the role of mentorship in your career growth. Looking back on my journey, I realize that mentorship has been the backbone of my career. I was equipped with degrees and enthusiasm when I entered healthcare, but real-world challenges were daunting. My mentors transformed those challenges into stepping stones. Their mentorship has shaped my path in the following ways: 1️⃣ Guidance in Uncharted Waters: Navigating the complexities of healthcare requires more than just textbooks. My mentors provided invaluable insights that helped me make informed decisions. 2️⃣ Expanding Horizons: Mentorship introduced me to diverse perspectives, broadening my understanding of global healthcare challenges. This has been crucial in my role at Boulevard Group, where inclusivity is key. 3️⃣ Cultivating Leadership Skills: Leadership is about inspiring others. My mentors taught me the importance of leading by example, a lesson I carry into every project. 4️⃣ Encouraging Innovation: As an angel investor, mentorship has encouraged me to support pioneering startups. Innovators need guidance, just as I did. 5️⃣ Building a Network: Mentorship is about building relationships that last a lifetime. The connections I’ve made have been pivotal in my journey, opening doors I never knew existed. _______________________ Mentorship is not a one-way thing. It’s a cycle of giving and receiving. As I continue to grow, I find joy in mentoring others and sharing my lessons. A few thoughts to consider: - Seek mentors who challenge you. - Be open to feedback; it’s a gift. - Pass on the knowledge you gain. Mentorship is a powerful tool for growth. Embrace it and watch your career transform in unexpected ways. Who has been a mentor in your life? Please share your story or tag them below. P.S. Some of our mentees are set for the next mini-MBA at the Tekedia Institute to add business and leadership skills to their clinical skills and acumen. Ikechukwu Okoh Ndubuisi Ekekwe