The mentoring of younger people by those more experienced occurs in all walks of life, and has done so for ages. In ancient times, it was said Socrates mentored Plato who mentored Aristotle who, in turn, mentored Alexander the Great. Thomas Edison mentored Henry Ford before he built Ford Motor Company. Bob Dylan was guided by Woody Guthrie. Bill Gates counts Warren Buffet as his mentor. Silicon Valley greats such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Eric Schmidt were all mentored by the late Bill Campbell. Bill Campbell’s key message to his mentees was: “Leadership is about recognizing that there’s a greatness in everyone and your job is to create an environment where that greatness can emerge.”
Campbell’s wise advice is relevant to OMs participating in the OM Mentoring Programme which the OM Council has been developing over the past few years. The OM Mentoring Programme seeks to add to the informal mentoring that already takes place across our community and in the workplaces of OMs. The programme’s objective is to assist younger OMs in their career by connecting them with a more experienced OM in their chosen field. The mentor selected is typically someone able to offer helpful career insights and guidance, and act as a sounding board for 12 months and possibly beyond.
My experience as a mentor in the 2017 pilot programme was a positive one. My mentee was keen to get some guidance as he moved from a large organisation to a similar one to my firm. Although the main focus was helping him navigate that transition, I enjoyed our discussions and benefited from his insight into how people of his age were thinking. We met for coffee or lunch every two months for 18 months. At that stage he was well settled and enjoying the new role, and I connected him to another OM in our field who I thought could also be of ongoing support.
This year we expect to connect 20 – 30 younger OMs with more experienced OMs as part of the programme that will last for 12 months. We aspire to build on these numbers in years to come and refine our approach as we get more feedback.
Should you wish to register your interest in being either a mentor or a mentee, or to seek out a suitable mentor, I suggest you do so via OMLink.
ASIC Chairman, James Shipton (OM 1987) to address OM Business Breakfast – 7am, Friday 24 May, RACV Club
Many OM’s are engaged in business. Everywhere I go I meet OMs who are business owners, bankers, lawyers, accountants, wealth managers, executives, entrepreneurs and so on. Many of them are keen to reconnect with their OM friends and develop broader business relationships across the OM community.
With this group in mind, last year the OM Council initiated two events. The Business Leaders Speaker Series and the Business Breakfast. The Business Leaders Speaker Series invites a speaker to address and engage with a smaller group (~50) of OMs typically 6pm – 7.30pm in a boardroom.
The Business Breakfast aims to attract a larger audience annually in May and includes a key note address. OMs are encouraged to bring a guest. Last year the breakfast was fully attended with Tom Elliott from 3AW as our guest speaker.
This year we are pleased to announce our guest speaker will be ASIC Chairman, James Shipton (OM 1987). The significance of James’ role in the current environment should make for a stimulating event. We are also pleased to have experienced News Limited journalist, Terry McCrann (OM 1965), joining James and leading the Q&A.
The Breakfast will take place at the RACV Club in the Melbourne CBD on Friday 24 May from 7am – 9am. Please refer to OMLink for further information and to register.
Andrew Maughan President of The Old Melburnians
