The Mentors Project: Jay Holden

MENTEE
Garrett Vanderpool, CEO of VanderNet Technology Services, and Christine Daues, senior marketing strategist for Paul Mueller Co.

OBJECTIVE
Shortly after starting his business Garrett was struggling with what every entrepreneur does: cash flow. Garrett pursued a mentoring relationship with me partly out of desperation and partly because he’s just a smart guy who recognizes he needs support. Christine is a natural leader and is jumping back into marketing work after a break. Mentoring with her, like any new co-worker, is about setting her up for success and productivity.

HOW
(With) Garrett, we met frequently over coffee and used phone conversations to fill the gap. Then, meetings were less frequent and there were more phone calls. With Christine the mentoring has more of a fluid, daily rhythm. We only meet at work or on the phone and it’s almost always unplanned.

BREAKTHROUGHS
After an especially challenging conversation Garrett called me and expressed that some of what I said was hard to hear but that he needed it and was thankful. That allowed me to confirm my unconditional support for him and freedom to take the risk with him again.

YOUR MENTOR
Perhaps the most intentional mentoring was from Pattye Moore, a board member, who helped me navigate some challenging marketing efforts. She not only listened, but also did very concrete things to support me, made connections, advocated on my behalf.