The Mentors Project: Laura Duckworth

MENTEE
Brad Lyons, brand identity designer at Salon Service Group

OBJECTIVE
Generally, the relationship between our roles can be a power struggle. So the objective of mentoring Brad is to cut through the natural tension to better learn how to be on the same page.

HOW
I assist him on a more organizational level, mentoring him on setting priorities, company relationships and what projects will have the greatest return on investment. I advise him on budgeting and the types of scenarios our sales force might run into. Many designers are stuck in their own creative genius, but he is able to see things from a different perspective.

BREAKTHROUGHS
In campaign development and special projects, we’ve discovered talents that we were barely aware of and have since been able to hone. Brad’s skills at video production have excelled, and by seeing the potential I’ve started writing advertising scripts.

YOUR MENTOR
My first mentor was the former COO of Liberty Bank, Blake Thomas, who guided me on not staying entrenched in my own responsibilities. He taught me to collaborate and share information, goals and experiences with other departments. Currently, Salon Service Group VP Shane Hanson is my mentor. Our weekly meetings and collaboration on projects has helped me learn and appreciate an exciting industry that is relatively new to me.