Mentors are like that blanket you couldn’t give up as a kid. If you
don’t have to stop the relationship, then don’t. Mentors provide
the objective point of view we all need. If your mentor is with your old
company, unless policy dictates it, there is no reason to stop the conversations.
One of my mentors hit me between the eyes with some feedback
as I was looking into options to get back into my former company when
she said, “Tone down the outside interests.” She meant that my “paid
hobby” of speaking and training on the side could easily be seen as a
priority conflict. Although I saw the strength of these interests as making
me a stronger professional, my mentor’s easily digestible comment put a
potential blind spot into context. Someone who may not know me well
might easily shy away from wanting to hire me due to a perceived priority
conflict. I was able to work on my filtering of this information in networking
and job interviews by not leading with it. I formulated a more
reserved message that came across stronger because it was clear how those
side interests had become an investment in my own growth that would
help me succeed in the new role. I am ever so thankful for the mentors,
both formal and informal, who stayed with me through this process.
Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):
- Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
- Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
- Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
- The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
- From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
- The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood
See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com. Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com
MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby