My Mentor…Claire Rason
Coach, business owner and business development expert, Claire Rason, often writes about the importance of having a mentor. In the first of a new series, we asked Claire about the mentor(s) that shaped her career.
My Mentor…Claire Rason
Coach, business owner and business development expert, Claire Rason, often writes about the importance of having a mentor. In the first of a new series, we asked Claire about the mentor(s) that shaped her career.
Q. Tell us about your mentor, how you first met and where you worked?
My first mentor was a senior partner at the firm where I trained to be a solicitor. I had been assigned to him and, whilst I sat with several partners over the course of my training, this person stood out. He was revered, but that wasn’t the reason he jumps into my mind, it’s because by sitting in his room and observing him, I found out he was a little misunderstood. He had a completely different approach to mine, which piqued my interest and helped me to see things differently.
Q. What is it about him that remains with you?
The partner was a rainmaker but not in the way you might imagine. What made him great at business development was the fact he cared – and the fact he listened. His ability to sit back and absorb the conversation around him meant when he spoke people listened. It also meant he captured everything, and he really did listen in a way that – I have come to find out – is rare in leaders (though not in the great ones).
Q. Did they have qualities you’ve tried to incorporate in your own career?
As my career progressed, and I pivoted early on from being a lawyer to being a business developer, what I have tried to hold on to is that to put the client first you have to listen. You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room to be heard. You don’t have to speak if you don’t have something to say.
I did start this interview by saying one of the reasons this mentor stood-out was because he had a different approach to mine. This person was an introvert, also a little bit shy, and listening I suspect came naturally. It has been hard work for me to adopt this style – and I don’t always (and that’s okay too). It does, however, remind me there is more than one way to be, and to remember the quiet voice in the room can be the most powerful. They need space to be heard.
Q. How would you go about choosing a mentor?
The person I have been describing was assigned to me – and it was a formal process, so he had no choice but to assume the role. However, I have had many mentors along the way – and most of these have been informally appointed. More accurately, they weren’t appointed at all.
A mentor is someone who helps support you in your career and gives you advice. Whilst mentoring has gathered pace since I started my career, and it is not uncommon for people to formally ask people to mentor them, you can have a mentor (in my view) without this formality. Certainly that was the way it was through most of my career. Seek out people in your organisation who you value. Maybe they have the same approach to you, maybe they don’t. Look and try to understand how they do things. Ask their advice and observe their approach. Invite them for coffee. Being curious is the best way to find a mentor and to get value from them.
“What made him great at business development was the fact he cared – and the fact he listened. His ability to sit back and absorb the conversation around him meant that when he spoke people listened. It also meant that he captured everything, and he really did listen in a way that – I have come to find out – is rare in leaders.”
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been gave?
The best piece of advice a mentor gave me was always to make time for others. However, this wasn’t something verbalised or indeed something that came from one person, but something I have done by observing. When I look across the mentors that have stood out for me, what made them special was that they always made time for others. They made everyone around them feel valued and they took the time to nurture relationships. I have tried to do the same.
My Dad is perhaps my biggest mentor. He taught me to always be kind and to treat everyone with the same level of respect, so perhaps I was on the lookout for that!
Q. Is there a project or scenario that was especially challenging and what did their leadership mean to you then?
I used to work in Chile, and I was responsible for financial and legal services at the British Embassy. There was a certain person who would always direct their questions to a more senior leader in the room. That leader (who stands out as a mentor) always used to say, “let’s speak to Claire, she is the expert”. What did I take from this? Be confident in what you know and don’t let other people’s perceptions of seniority or rank bring that down. The people who know your worth will have your back.
Q. How would you sum-up an impressive mentor as a manager?
This person was very senior, but they were a great leader because they made time for interactions with everyone – and they remembered the details. Whether it was to ask about how someone’s child was doing or speak about a hobby, they reminded you there was a relationship and that it mattered. This brought an energy to the whole team and meant they had this person’s back, as much as they had ours.
Q. I don’t have a mentor, am I missing out?
Hopefully what this interview will show is you don’t need to have a formal mentoring relationship in place to be curious and learn from those around you. However, if you do feel you are missing out by not having a formal mentor, I would encourage you to think about what you feel is missing.
Maybe you need someone to give you confidence, maybe you need someone to show you how to step up a level, or to navigate the politics of the place in which you’re working. It could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, think about what you need and who in your organisation might best fill the gap. Ask them.
You might even want to approach someone who sits outside your organisation. They might even be a peer or more junior to you. Don’t close off possibilities and don’t be afraid to ask. If someone says “no” to being your mentor, don’t be disheartened, this probably says more about them than you. Keep trying to make a connection and don’t discount what can be learnt through observation and reflection.
Q. What is the one piece of advice you’d give to those you mentor?
The most important advice I can give is to have faith in their own abilities and to recognise that, just because someone has been successful adopting one approach, that approach might not be the right one for them. Being flexible but true to who you are will always be the way to fulfil your own full potential.