Who will be your mentor?
You will be assigned one of the senior leaders in Arla. Usually someone who signs up for it, or is recommended by someone who believes they would do a great job.
Well, what is a mentor for then?
Your mentor – mentee relationship is completely up to you. There are pairs who meet every quarter and some (like ourselves) who will have a meeting every month. It can be very structured, or just seeking input on something you come up with – up to you.
Our mentors and us have very different personalities, but are still a great fit. That’s the beauty of it – your mentor will have a different angle on things than your manager, fellow F15s, or buddy.
What can you discuss with your mentor?
Pretty much everything. You can use your mentor for discussing topics you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with your manager, career planning, networking advice, their take on work related issues, etc. – everything you discuss with your mentor is strictly confidential!
Remember, your mentor will be a senior leader and has been around for a while. Many things you are going through they might have experienced themselves at some point – or dealt with a person who has.
Now, what about coaching? Who is coaching us?
The coaching is done by Alexandra, our head of talent development, who has tons of experience, also in coaching senior leaders!
What is coaching all about?
Coaching is all about your personal development – things you feel you want to improve on or that you feel hinder your getting ahead. Alexandra will be asking all the right questions for you to reflect on yourself.
How does it work and why is it great?
The coaching sessions are question-based and put our self-reflection and development in focus – they make us dive deep into our personalities, which we really enjoy. Coaching provides the opportunity to consider personal traits as tools to use and develop. It helps to understand strengths, but also how we cope with pressure. It makes us consider our personalities in a holistic manner and what we bring to the table at work.
For us the mentoring and coaching have really enriched our work experience at Arla!
