Mentorship Matters at Every Level
Written by: Olyvia Chac
It all started with the Greeks
If you remember anything about high school English, then you probably remember reading (or SparkNote-ing) The Odyssey, one of the most epic Greek poems to ever exist and the sequel to The Iliad, another banger of a Greek poem.
In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus, calls upon his old friend, Mentor to look after his son, Telemachus while he leaves to fight in the Trojan War. All Telemachus wants to do is to bring his father home safely. And if you remember (or SparkNoted) throughout The Odyssey, Telemachus consistently seeks guidance and confides in Mentor.
Telemachus and Mentor’s relationship set the hallmark for the history of mentorship. Because of the nature of their close bond, the word “Mentor” was adapted into Latin, English, and other languages as a word to describe a person who shares knowledge and wisdom. There’s a quick history lesson for you, and sort of everything has Greek roots, right?
Much like Telemachus, my mentors and the experience of mentorship hold a special place in my heart and spirit. Since I could remember learning who a “mentor” was and what they do, the anxiety-ridden, 16-year-old Olyvia began to believe that asking others for help is normal. It validated how I grew up as a Vietnamese kid, being babysat by neighbors and taken care of by people outside of my immediate family: “it takes a village to raise a child.” It also soothed the symptoms of the “oldest-immigrant daughter” trope, impending doom and over-emphasized filial piety.
Although I wasn’t fighting in the Trojan War or was a Greek Gladiator, the battle I was going through were chapters of life. Along the way, I’ve met incredible professionals and people who’ve invested in me to become a more kick-ass version of myself in each chapter. I couldn’t have achieved the success and clarity of my career path without my roster of mentors over the years.
Hold-up! What’s the difference between a mentor and a coach?
This is one of the classic questions I get asked probably once a month about mentorship. And yeah, these two terms often get confused for being the same thing, but they’re actually different. Throughout my professional and academic career, I’ve had both mentors and coaches. Here are some of the distinct differences between the two (see chart below):
Cool. Cool. Cool. So what’s the purpose of mentors and mentorship?
I can provide you a laundry list or CVS receipt about the purpose of mentors, yet I’ll spare you and drop the top-level highlights:
Mentors are not only bound to your professional career. They can also provide advice or wisdom in any facet of your life – ask and you shall receive advice (i.e. hobbies, educational goals, maybe even relationship advice, etc.)
Mentorship is like an investment. Mentors share your goal of wanting you to develop, grow, and succeed.
Mentors see something in you that you’re unable to see yourself, usually your natural spark. They help you discover and tap into your potential.
Supporter, cheerleader, teacher, or advocate. Mentors can be anything you ask them to be while you’re striving for your goals.
Okay, so what’s the uno-reverse of mentors and mentorship?
There’s always a flip side to things. Here are a few points on what mentors are NOT supposed to be for:
Mentors are NOT therapists. Sharing and expressing your trauma comes with the consent and comort of your mentors. And it’s easy to talk about personal feelings or issues with someone you trust. Again, discuss what’s right amongst yourselves but just remember mentors and therapists are not the same.
Mentors are NOT cookie cutters of success. Mentors come from all industries, varieties, and experiences; their lived experiences are not meant to be a perfect image of “success” or “having it all.” They’re human at the end of the day, just like you. Part of their wisdom comes from making mistakes
Mentors are NOT the drivers of your life. You. Are. In. Control. Always. You have the final say in whatever decision or goal you’re trying to pursue. Mentors are there to guide you but not hold your hand through everything in life. Like the old saying: “you can bring a horse to the water, but you can’t make them drink,” you got to drink the water yourself, babes.
Great, I’m sold. Now how do I get a mentor? Who do I even ask?
They could be your manager or your work bestie’s manager, an old advisor from college, or maybe your eccentric, pottery-obsessed neighbor. They might even be people you haven’t even met yet. Peep my Rolodex of suggestions below:
Previous college advisors or current/previous professors in your department.
Managers, department leads, creative directors, or other professionals in your agency who you want to learn from.
Spiritual community members or people from the clergy on your spiritual journey.
Someone you met through mutual friends or perhaps a person you met virtually or online.
A person who might be from a different industry or field than yours.
Anyone who you feel comfortable asking to be your mentor outside of the various examples above.
Applying to mentorship programs like 3AF’s NextGen Mentorship program and getting paired with an industry mentor.
When’s the “perfect time” to get a mentor?
Here’s your daily reminder to remove “perfect” from your vocabulary if possible - baby steps if you’re able to. Life is a big blob of gray things, situations, and feelings and most of them involve other people. And when caca hits the fan, it sprays regardless of timing. So getting a mentor at a set time frame is kind of bologna. A mentor-mentee should always be formed organically and not transactionally.
Throughout my schooling days and much of my post-grad career, I’ve gained mentors during different chapters of my life, from events or professional conferences, or a woman I met at my alma mater’s library who got shot out of canon on Fear Factor, or supplemental programs. And I remember many of them appearing or connecting with me because of the spark of potential they saw in me. They were committed to supporting me to grow over a short period of time or even throughout my 20s and now 30s.
Mostly my empirical take is that having mentors as your support system, being built over time will ensure that when any type of caca hits the fan, you have people you can lean on. Mentors can also be there to celebrate alongside your wins. They can be present at any level in your career or life: crying with joy while opening your college acceptance letters, taking you out for ice cream after an awful breakup, screaming with you as you sign your first big-adult job offer, be front row while you accept a huge award, send you flowers on your first day as a Creative Director or CEO, or help you cut cake at your kid’s 1st birthday party – the list of possible core memories are endless. Hence, my experience and bottom line of mentorship is this: having mentors is priceless.
The return in investment of mentorship: Priceless
As confident and comically transparent as I am writing this for you, the reader, (who's going to find or get another mentor after finishing this blog), I’m trying to get you to the bottomline of mentorship. For someone to spend some of their time to make a positive change in my life, there’s not a tangible way for me to repay or monetize it, simply priceless. I can’t even say what Jimmy O. Yang’s mom says, that mentorship is a discount and “a good deal”.
My mentee experience in 3AF’s NextGen Mentorship Program
Since my pivot from healthcare to advertising during the beginning of the pandemic, my career path hasn’t been the smoothest – the learning curve for me is still in the stratosphere. As a now-Copywriter based in Portland, the representation of BIPOC or Asian-identifying creatives is a kiddie-sized pool. And, with advertising still being a white male-dominated industry, I’ve had mostly male, Asian male, or white female mentors thus far in my creative career. I was searching for a female creative mentor or someone who sounded and looked like me.
So I took my own advice, stumbled upon the 3AF’s 2022 NextGen Mentorship program, and applied. It was a collaboration between Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF) and Asians in Advertising (AIA) and AIA was an organization I always fangirled over since its launch in 2021.
I had no idea if I would get in but I shot my shot and manifested that I could bask in the greatness of other Asian creative pros. And behold, I manifested super close to the sun and I got into NextGen with Bernice Chao as my mentor. My fangirling saga continued.
When the first month of NextGen began, I originally had no concrete plan but an anticipated mindset shift: to flip my daily narrative from “I can’t do this because” to “I can pursue this despite xyz”. I’ve been living in my head for too long. I desperately wanted to change that little voice in my head to stop spewing limiting beliefs and start hyping my dope ass personality and talent up. And sticking to my earlier point, there’s no such thing as “perfect timing” but the “perfect problem” does exist. And my perfect problem of upgrading my mindset was clearly going to happen - and because Bernice said so.
In addition to 1:1 mentor time, the 6-month NextGen program also offered monthly meetups with a special-topics webinar, opportunities to engage with guest speakers, catch-ups with NextGen moderators, and chats with other mentees going through the program. And, in the span of the 6 months, here are the invaluable and priceless experiences I’ve gained:
Erasing the old whiteboard & starting fresh: I scraped my previous life map and introspectively dove into my goals, wants, and dreams and started to plot them as a reality. Higher pay? Bigger clients or campaign work? It all went on the new-found vision board.
Doubling down on removing limiting beliefs: It’s common to be in your head 24/7. The true culprit that’s stopping you from succeeding is yourself. Getting rid of limiting beliefs helped me see my worth and potential.
Taking up space, in any encounter: I was invited to a dinner with senior and director-level women who’ve won awards and accomplishments in their craft. Instead of being reclusive, sweating from anxiety, or speaking when called upon, I used that opportunity to make my presence known. No one will remember me based on my fancy title but they will remember how I made them feel or how I saw them as a human first.
Knowing I am enough but not paid enough - I reverse-engineered haggling: Money is still a taboo subject and it’s so ingrained in our Asian culture to not ask for more pay from our employers. Yet, our aunties, grandmas, and moms can bargain for discounts where they can - and like Jimmy O. Yang’s mom, they damn straight get a “good deal”. So I leveraged haggling like an uno reverse during contract and salary discussions to get my well-deserved bag.
Pulling a seat for others at the table: People want to feel seen and heard. Through NextGen, I truly believe that mentorship is a two-way street, and as much wisdom I gained from Bernice, I also put value into sharing my perspectives as the next generation of up-and-incoming creatives. And I learned from Bernice that in order to be heard, I need to be sitting next to people and speaking, not talking to them distantly from a position of power or privilege.
Mentorship and having a mentor who is guiding you through uncharted territories and helping you reach your destination again is priceless and invaluable. As I’ve mentioned earlier, these relationships don't have to be brief and can last as long as you want them to. I still frantically update Bernice on a weekly basis about career moves and my obsession with Jackson Wang (sorry, not sorry). And If you made it this far in the blog and I’ve convinced you of the importance of mentorship, take the leap and apply for 3AF’s 2023 NextGen Mentorship Program today. Applications close on July 1 so get to it and hop on the link below:
https://www.asiansinadvertising.com/nextgen-mentorship
