Mentoring Stories

Matthew Wysel

Matthew's Mentoring Story

Mentoring is the most important thing I have consistently searched out in every role in my career. Mentoring is someone who has walked your path before you and can offer you the sort of advice you never wanted from an older cousin but probably always needed. In my view, mentoring is different to coaching as a coach can help you with specific aspects (skills, techniques, competencies) but usually as a skilled observer, rather than as someone who knows your personal experience from the inside out. Mentors should be close enough for empathy, but distant enough for perspective. 

That introduction sounds like I have benefited from an abundance of clearly identifiable, forthright mentors who have driven well-understood Mentor/Mentee relationships throughout my career. Regrettably, it has been the opposite. If you have that, treasure it. The collection of experiences that constitutes my – now – diverse background has meant that while I have often benefited from the hard-earned wisdom of others, it has typically not come from someone who has walked in my shoes. 

That said, I have benefited greatly from many informal Mentor/Mentee relationships. Often these informal arrangements require subtler approaches and more ‘contextualising’ to realise the benefit of their advice, nudges, and solace. My father still offers sagely advice into my current circumstances. Very often the specific recommendations will require slight adjustment, but invariably the theme or central concept is sound. His life-long imperative has always been the pursuit of education as an insurance against a changing workforce. While I have had breaks from formal education, my current Master in Professional Accounting and PhD in Economics and Computer Science are both attempts at incorporating that maxim. 

My current, and many of my past, supervisors have also functioned as Mentors – or at least Exemplars. Often intangibles like the importance of a strong work-ethic, a resolutely peoplecentred approach to management, or a strong moral compass were learnt. Sometimes I have learnt from them by seeing the importance of doing the opposite to what they have done. Often their learning has impacted me too. Very often it was the way they made decisions that impacted me most. Their extra years’ experience seemed to confer greater efficiency in decision making and a natural knack for avoiding the mistakes I was making. 

In all cases, irrespective of the mode or manner of Mentor/Mentee relationship, retaining humble approach to learning is central. Learn from everyone.