Lifelong Lessons: What Did Your Most Effective Mentor Teach You?

  Resource Management   Talent Management   PM Network  

What did your most effective mentor teach you?

Ahmed Khalid, PMP - Enterprise resource planning projects manager, Injazat Data Systems,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

My most effective mentor, an ex-manager, used a delegation/ support/appreciation/ trust technique that taught me to motivate, empower and delegate in alignment with the objectives and standards of different projects and stakeholders.

First, he delegated authority to me to lead projects. Second, he supported me to break the ice with key project stakeholders. Third, he let me reap the fruits of success through positive customer feedback and successful delivery—or face the results through lessons learned from failures. Finally, he built a bridge of trust between us through “praise in public, punish in private.” This helped unleash my full potential, knowing he was always there to cover my back and shed light on what I missed.

Nicholas Spanos - Principal, Computer Aid, Harrisburg,Pennsylvania, USA

My father mentored me on critical thinking and analysis. Despite having no formal higher education, he was excellent at assessing situations and applying common sense to determine solutions. Because he owned a restaurant, he could not provide insight into corporate politics. But he had an excellent understanding of his customers, what it took to keep them and that most people have an …

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