Mentorship has always been valuable to me. Even when I was too young to understand what mentorship was or what it looked like, I gravitated toward people who had knowledge and wisdom to share beyond my own lived experience. Sometimes, this came in the form of a friend who had a more stable home life and invited me over, which allowed me to feel that comfort of family. Other times, it was a professor who saw potential I could not see in myself and challenged me to nurture it. Or the employer who trusted me with a new responsibility early on that helped me step up to the task and grow.
That’s why when I was only four months into my new job at RapidScale (part of the Cox family of businesses), I volunteered to join a mentorship group as part of Empow[HER], Cox’s employee resource group for women. I was still so new to the company that I wasn’t sure whether I’d be ready to mentor a group, but I took a chance and filled out the form. To my surprise (and glee!) I was selected and partnered up with an amazing woman to virtually lead one of the monthly mentorship groups.
I was very excited. But then, the nerves kicked in.
Questions such as, “What could I possibly offer this group of women?” and “What the heck did I get myself into?” flooded my mind.
The panic only lasted a few moments before I snapped myself out of it — splashing (figurative) water in my face, looking into the (figurative) mirror of my mind — and reminding myself that my experience mattered. Not only did I have wisdom from my own career journey to impart to others, but I also saw this as an incredible opportunity to gain wisdom from the other women in my group.
So, with that resolve and my trusted co-leader beside me, I began my mentoring journey with Cox in February 2024. Here are a few things I learned along the way:
1. Participation will vary, so don’t take it personally
As I got into the rhythm of leading these monthly virtual meetups, I realized that participation looks different for everyone — and that’s completely okay! For example:
- Cameras may not always be on because we all need a break from being on screen. And keeping your video off doesn’t diminish the meaningful discussions taking place.
- Engagement during meetings will vary; not every topic will speak to every individual, nor will everyone feel the need to share each time.
- Attendance will also shift month to month; life happens to all of us and sometimes people have other, more immediate priorities at the moment. Instead, I learned to focus on who is in the meeting and what they need from the hour we have together.
2. Feedback is priceless
When you’re in a mentor-mentee relationship, you want to define what you want to learn or get out of the relationship.
I quickly discovered that the best way to lead effective discussion was to ask my members what they wanted to get out of those monthly meetings. I asked them to send me their topic suggestions and wish list of guest speakers and together, my co-leader and I mapped out the content schedule for the meetings that took place throughout the year.
I also continued to check in regularly to make sure our discussions were meeting their needs, and we’d shift the programming as needed. I also provided my members with an end-of-year survey to get more in-depth feedback.
3. Amazing relationships will happen
The power of community is invaluable, especially in the virtual world we have today. Mentoring provides the occasion to develop a unique connection with coworkers:
- Learning each member’s personal story opened the door to discovering shared experiences, and knowing we are not alone is often the catalyst to staying strong or stepping into a new adventure.
- Inviting guest speakers to share how they overcame challenges and achieved their successes inspired listeners to recognize the power in their own stories.
4. Stepping into the unknown pays off
One of the most powerful realizations I had while co-leading an Empow[HER] group is that taking that leap of faith is often worth it. At the beginning of 2024, when I was still learning the ropes as a newer employee, I didn’t know what it would take to mentor a group of women from all walks of life. I know I made mistakes along the way, but I also gained so much insight. Never have I had such an incredible opportunity in my past careers, and I am thankful that I had the chance to do something so incredibly rewarding here at Cox.
So, if you’re interested in a career at Cox, I would encourage you to seize every opportunity that speaks to you. There’s so much the company has to offer beyond your day-to-day job (although that’s pretty great, too!). Should you join our team, I promise you that you will be challenged and positively impacted in ways you never imagined.
