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Hello,
As 2020 begins to wind down, and much of the world enters the holiday season and a time of thanks, we're continually grateful for all of your work as Mentors. Though this year is different from all others, your dedication and zest has been unwavering and proteges, who need you more now than ever before, have also expressed their profound gratitude for your time and expertise. We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, including hand-picked articles and our Mentor Spotlight feature plus a very special upcoming webinar all about optimizing your mentoring relationships, both as a Mentor and a protege. As always, we are here if you have any questions or feedback!.
Very best, Vanja
WEBINAR Mentoring relationships benefit the career trajectories of both mentors and mentees alike. Giving and receiving guidance can help professionals at all levels to define and achieve clear goals.
LEADERSHIP Every company wants to be considered innovative and most leaders want to encourage innovation from their teams, but what does “innovation” really mean?
ENTREPRENEURSHIP This Veterans Day, IvyExec decided to ask veterans-turned-executives what qualities and skills they attained in the military that other business leaders can learn from.
PRODUCTIVITY You can feel like meetings drain productivity, rather than enhance it. The key to a productive meeting, isn’t in what you say but in how you listen.
Mentor Spotlight Rick Planos is a retail, branding, and career consultant and runs Global Retail Solutions, at www.rickplanos.com. He is also very active in non profits, including serving as a Board Member of Mary Crane Centers, a group providing preschool in Chicago for the underserved, a volunteer and mentor at Curt’s Cafe in Evanston, and a Wish Granter, Trainer, Interviewer, and General Volunteer at Make a Wish Illinois. He is also an active mentor in two additional organizations, America Needs You-Chicago (A.N.Y.) and Chicago Innovation-Ageless Innovators. 
Why did you decide to become an Ivy Exec Mentor?
I decided to apply as an Ivy Exec mentor after being a ‘mentee’ for several years. Four or five years ago I joined Ivy Exec and was thrilled with all the opportunities to learn. I was hooked on the mentor program right away and have met many lifelong advisors there. After every session as a mentee I walk away feeling like I owe the mentor $5000 for all the great feedback as well as a connection for life. What is the most rewarding part of being a Mentor?
At a certain point in my career, there was a tipping point where my fulfillment came more from seeing my teams move forward than myself. I’ve had a long career in retail leadership-a team sport if ever there was one. There also comes a time where you feel the need to share the tough lessons you learned along the way. I’ve always wanted to teach, I went to graduate school for teaching business, and mentoring is the same type of activity. Can you share one of your most memorable mentoring experiences?
One of my favorite mentoring experiences was quite recent. I was contacted by a fantastic young lady from New York who was also in the field of retail. For all the doom and gloom in the headlines about the changes going on in retail, there are still going to be malls and stores in the future even if they look and feel somewhat different than the past. I was a little nervous as this brilliant young lady was a Harvard graduate, and I am a Big Ten grad. We had an outstanding discussion and have made a great long term connection. She was even able to teach me some new things AND be a resource for my daughter who also lives and works in New York. What is one piece of advice you would give to new Mentors?
I would say the best advice I could give any new mentor is “Seek to understand, rather than be understood.” So often we are too focused on what we are saying that we don’t listen enough for the clues or perspective of those we are talking with. As I have moved up throughout my career, listening has become more and more critical. What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned from mentoring others?
The most surprising thing I have learned is that we all are always learning. Anyone that thinks they have all the answers is absolutely wrong. There are things that change every day. Who could have predicted this pandemic, or the seismic change in retail, or the advent of social media? If you want to keep up you need to commit to being a lifetime learner and today there are more and more resources to help you keep a pulse on what is going on. Working with a mentor is one way to broaden your perspective.
REACH OUT Let us know if you have any thoughts on how we can improve or what you would like to see next for the Mentorship Program. Ivy Exec | 49 W. 38th St. 12A | New York, NY 10018 This e-mail was sent to rick@rickplanos.com by Ivy Exec |
