Importance of Mentorship in Innovative Business Strategy

The most important lesson in my career? It came from the newest person in the room. In the initial years of RSA America LLC, I remember being in a strategy meeting, grappling with a complex challenge. As we brainstormed solutions, one of the team's newest members suggested an approach that seemed out of left field. My first instinct was to rely on my years of experience, but something told me to pause and listen. We explored the idea, and it turned out to be the key to solving the problem innovatively and effectively. That experience taught me something crucial:   Experience alone doesn't bring fresh perspectives—people do. Since then, I’ve embraced the value of learning from everyone around me, especially my team. I call it reverse mentorship. This approach has shaped my leadership in three key ways: - Reframing Expertise: True expertise is about staying open to new ideas. Engaging with fresh perspectives has refined my strategies, ensuring they’re aligned with today’s challenges and opportunities. - Challenging Biases: Listening to ideas from newer team members has shown me there’s rarely one "right" way to approach a problem. This keeps our thinking flexible, allowing us to adapt and innovate continuously. - Building a Learning Culture:  Encouraging input from all levels creates a culture where innovation thrives. When everyone feels valued, the team becomes stronger, more cohesive, and better equipped to tackle challenges together. Reverse mentorship isn’t just a leadership strategy—it’s a mindset that has enriched my decision-making and strengthened our team. When leaders listen, everyone wins. . . . #reverselearning #mentorship

Mentorship has been a cornerstone of my career, but my approach to building a network of mentors has evolved over time. Early on, I thought the best mentors were those who mirrored my role—essentially a more successful, more experienced version of myself. But I’ve since realized that this myopic approach often misses the mark. Some of the most valuable mentors I’ve had weren’t in venture capital at all. They came from adjacent industries like asset management, tackling challenges that are analogous to mine but offering perspectives I couldn’t see from within my own field. Here’s why this works: 1. Outside perspectives reveal blind spots: Mentors outside your industry can identify dynamics in your business that might be invisible to you because you're too close to them. These insights are invaluable for seeing the bigger picture. 2. Diverse thinking adds depth: A broader, more diverse network of mentors exposes you to new ways of solving problems, offering frameworks and strategies you might not encounter within your immediate circle. Building a mentor base is critical, but diversity is key. Don’t just look for people who are “you in 20 years” with more success. Instead, seek mentors with fresh perspectives and different lenses. That’s where the real value lies.

Top talent doesn’t raise their hand. They wait to be seen. They’re not raising their hands. They’re not asking for coffee chats. They’re not building a personal brand on LinkedIn. But they’re the ones you should be mentoring. In every FMCG organization I’ve worked with from Paris to Chicago, Amsterdam to New York I’ve seen the same thing play out: The highest-potential talent isn’t always the most visible. They’re the ones quietly overdelivering. They’re the ones running the numbers behind your best ideas. They’re the ones waiting sometimes too long for someone to say: "I see what you’re capable of. Let’s talk about where you’re going." According to Harvard Business Review (2024), 65% of emerging leaders say they’ve never had a formal mentor. Not because they didn’t want one. But because they didn’t know how to ask. Or didn’t think they were “senior enough” to deserve it. This is especially true in European markets, where humility is often mistaken for passivity and where career ambition can be quiet, but no less powerful. And here’s the cost to organizations: → Underdeveloped succession pipelines → Top talent poached by competitors who see what you didn’t → A culture where mentorship is reactive, not strategic In my search work, the leaders who rise fastest? They’re the ones who had someone champion them before they had the confidence to do it themselves. Mentorship isn’t a feel-good HR initiative. It’s a growth strategy. If you lead a team ask yourself: → Who’s delivering but not self-promoting? → Who’s not asking for development but is absolutely ready for it? → Who do I wish I had ten more of? Those are the people who need your time. Your insight. Your belief. Because often the best talent doesn’t show up with a pitch. They show up with potential. #Mentorship #FMCG #TalentStrategy #ExecutiveSearch #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth