OWNING IT: Mentorship, Leadership and the Path to a Successful Career UC Administrative Management Professionals Annual Conference April 10, 2017 Julie A. Freischlag, M.D., FACS, RCSEd(Hon) Vice Chancellor, Human Health Sciences Dean, School of Medicine University of California, Davis

The importance of mentorship

Why have mentors? Mentors play a significant role in career and personal development by: Improving your decision-making skills Describing many roads Opening doors and introducing opportunities Preparing you for change and for challenges Grading your work

What kind of mentor(s) do you need? Cheerleader Sponsor Coach Teacher Problem solver Connector Thinker Challenger Advisor Sounding board

Where can you find mentors? Formal mentoring programs Local, state, national conferences Social, civic organizations LinkedIn, social media networks Academic, business internships Sports clubs, interest groups

Why should a mentor choose you? You show promise You excite them with your energy, passion, purpose You demonstrate commitment, self-motivation, determination You want to help them, too You aspire to mentor others

How do you ask someone to mentor you? Thoroughly research mentor candidates Match each one to specific reasons you need a mentor Know exactly why each one is/is not a mutual right fit Evaluate different mentors for different stages of your career

How do you ask someone to mentor you? When you do ask for mentorship… Remember Mentorship is a substantial responsibility and professional commitment for the mentor Explain Why are you asking the particular person? What is your planned scope of the relationship? How do you envision both of you will benefit?

If they say no, you can say… “Thank you for thinking about it and explaining your constraints and concerns. If you created a mentoring situation that worked best for you, what would that look like?” or “Thank you for listening and considering the idea. If I can help you with something you’re working on now, please let me know. I would enjoy learning while helping.”

What are the key ingredients when starting a new mentoring relationship? Openly discuss mutual benefits, expectations, responsibilities Establish specific goals, metrics Create regular meeting calendar Agree on communication tools and frequency (phone, email, text) Require honest feedback Periodically assess mutual satisfaction

What makes an outstanding mentee? Say please and thank you Respect mentor’s time Exceed your obligations Contribute new ideas Bring solutions to problems Show appreciation Be positive, enthusiastic Surprise mentor with progress

What makes a not-so-outstanding mentee? Do not expect mentors to: Do your work Give you all the answers Define your path Hand-deliver each next step Protect you from obstacles or difficulties

Fundamental rules Never forget your mentors Mentor forward and mentor back

Becoming a leader

Find your strengths Evaluate your strengths Recognize your weaknesses Gallup StrengthsFinder – Identify your dominant talents and learn how to maximize them My strengths are: Strategic, Futuristic, Positive, Individualistic, Achiever Recognize your weaknesses Even if you really want to be strong in one area, recognizing that you aren’t is critical

Igniting a successful career Be passionate, be innovative, be bold Go about your work with integrity, authenticity and creativity Effect change Be a good person! Listen more than talk Do more than expected Praise peers more than yourself Collaborate genuinely Lean on others, let others lean on you

Bloom where you’re planted Develop a flexible pace Admit when you’re wrong Never can listen too much Be yourself ASAP Keep your sense of humor Enjoy it along the way (Wilson) 50% of the day is fine (Stabile) Those complaining – that’s your job (Youkey) Keep your family in the loop Respond to crisis with your heart and mind (Passaro)

OWN IT! Seize opportunities, take chances, be the one to start the momentum, even if it’s controversial, uncomfortable to some people, or if it disrupts the status quo “I wondered about the explorers who'd sailed their ships to the end of the world. How terrified they must have been when they risked falling over the edge. How amazed to discover, instead, places they had seen only in their dreams.” ― Jodi Picoult

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost