The All-Important Plan B by Lyle Landon & Adrienne Blanks

The AWNY Mentoring pairing of mentee Adrienne Blanks, Account Executive at the New York Times, and mentor Lyle Landon, National Sales Director at NCI got off to a great start with a friendly phone conversation and plans to meet for lunch in January. As soon as they were seated, Adrienne announced, “I have some news, I’ve been laid off.”

Lyle, an experienced mentor, realized that her anticipated agenda would have to be scrapped to deal with this new, urgent development. Adrienne was adamant that she wanted to continue with the program, and that she would be relying on it even more to help her develop and execute a new short-term and long-term plan. When Lyle got back from lunch, she got the news that her position, among others, also had been eliminated, effective immediately. What a beginning!

Adrienne and Lyle continued to have mentoring meetings - in diners in NJ, in cafes in New York and then via phone conversations when Adrienne went home to Houston to explore employment opportunities there. They both encouraged one another to investigate other specialties within media, as advertising sales positions were continuing to disappear. Adrienne networked through colleagues and friends and worked as an Independent Contractor managing regional marketing promotions. Lyle, who had established her own company in 2007 for freelance sales and marketing projects, became an independent representative for her former employer and an out-of-home college media company. These were short-term solutions for both women, but important steps that generated cash flow and built confidence.

As of December, Adrienne continues to do contract work as a marketing manager and has launched theblvdmag.com, an online magazine catering to the lifestyle of the culturally aware twenty-somethings in the greater Houston area. Lyle’s client base has expanded beyond ad sales to include an outplacement services company, Bloomingdale’s, the US Census and a nonprofit dance company.

Adrienne said, “The AWNY mentoring program afforded me the opportunity to meet a dynamic mentor who helped guide me through this challenging year.” Lyle said, “I can’t wait to see what happens in the AWNY Mentoring 2010 program!”

Ask AWNY

Ask AWNY features questions sent in by the Mentoring Program community!

Q. I joined the Mentoring Program this year and had a great time with my mentor. I want to keep learning from new people, though, so I applied for a new mentor in 2010. Here's my problem— I want to keep up some kind of relationship with my current mentor since she's very easygoing and I trust her judgment. What is the best way to broach this topic with her before the year is up? I feel awkward because I don’t want to offend her in any way. Thanks!



A. You should absolutely keep up a relationship with your mentor! That said, navigating your mentor relationship after the New Year can be daunting, because ambiguity can create unnecessary anxiety.

"Are you...breaking up with me??!"

I promise it will not be that dramatic. Successful formal relationships end all the time— think about the last professional workshop you attended. It's a compliment to your mentor that you want to join the Mentoring Program again and stay in touch with her— it shows you found it (and her) to be a valuable part of your professional growth.

First, take charge. Approach the topic with your mentor the same way you discussed your goals when you met. A great time to bring it up is when you talk about your 2009 achievements (don’t forget to thank her for contributing to your success!) and list out your goals for 2010.

Even if you encountered obstacles during the year, don't be afraid to bring them up! You can both work together to brainstorm ways to learn from your experiences, so don’t pass up the opportunity.

Next issue: After your last “official” meeting, you likely won’t meet up once a month, but if your relationship is strong, you can still go to your mentor with the same kinds of problems or triumphs that you did during the previous year.

Mentoring Program veterans have told me about their current relationships with former mentors, and their experiences range quite a bit. It's very common to catch up often with a "former" mentor, but without the same regularity and focus as that first year. While some pairs simply swap emails around personal and professional milestones, some still make coffee dates and others call when they need a pep talk, an unbiased point of view or just want to say hello. (Shameless plug: some mentees invite their former mentors to AWNY events!) The happy medium is whatever you both want it to be.

The good news is that mentors don’t disappear or turn into pumpkins after the Times Square ball drops. You should always be cultivating a "cabinet" of professional mentors, so get excited— it sounds like you are well on your way. Good luck!

Send your mentoring questions to awnymentoring@gmail.com. All senders will remain anonymous!

Fresh Perspectives: How to Make the Most Out of Your Reverse Mentoring Experience by Christa Babcock

In today’s dynamic advertising landscape, it has become increasingly important for Senior Managers to stay up to date with the latest concepts within our industry. The constant learning of new technology, new methods of communication within an organization, new perspectives on where our industry is going, and what other ways exist to make us better managers, overall are elements that correlate highly to a successful growing firm today.

Started in the mid 1990s by Jack Welch, the original purpose of Reverse Mentoring was to educate several hundred senior level professionals within GE and on new technologies by using the top young talent that the firm had just acquired. Today Unilever, Pepsi, Disney, Yahoo!, and Mindshare are all examples of organizations that are reaping the incredible benefits of this exciting path of discovery.

So, how can you use it and make the most of this great opportunity today?

1) Plan and Manage: At the very first meeting, set your goals for the overall mentorship experience. What is it that both of you hope to gain? Determine the metrics for how you will measure your partnership’s growth. As it may be the first time both parties are trying out these new roles, it is crucial to have a game plan set out in advance to avoid confusion for sessions and meetings throughout the process.

2) Keep An Open Mind: This experience is all about fresh perspectives. As a mentor, your best assets are the experiences that you’ve had as a new member of the working world, and the thoughts on where things are going and how we can improve them for our industry. Likewise, as a mentee, you are bringing a great opportunity for a younger mentor to gain great perspective of how to communicate more effectively with senior managers and see what C-Suite executives find to be crucial to the future of our business world.

3) Leave Your Status and Title At The Door: Reverse Mentoring is about coming to the discussion table without the current reference of where you are today in your firm’s hierarchy. This requires an openness of the mentee, as the young mentor might not be experienced with leading discussion and also of the mentor as the mentee might not be used to receiving such candid thoughts from a less experienced professional. Remember however, you are both there to engage and learn in a wonderful environment.