NAPENews Magazine June 2023 Edition

APPROACHING AN INDUSTRY MENTOR
AND SUSTAINING THE RELATIONSHIP
After engaging in conversations
with numerous mentors and
mentees, it becomes evident
that their fundamental perspective on
mentorship centers around the
mentee seeking a catalyst for personal
g r o w t h f r o m t h e m e n t o r .
Simultaneously, the mentor is driven
by a desire to either pay it forward or
contribute to humanity in a manner
they themselves had wished for during
their own journey towards achieving
the level of success they have
attained.
Why Mentorship?
Mentorship acts as a catalyst, building
block, guidance or even a patronage
by a mentor to a mentee that is willing
to walk a guided path to get to the
similar destination. Mentorship
expands your possibilities and makes
you bigger, better, and brighter. A
mentor doesn't want you to make the
same mistake they made, that doesn't
mean you wouldn't make mistakes of
your own though - remember, there
are a thousand mistakes to learn from.
Why get an Industry Mentor?
An Industry Mentor is someone who
not only focuses on the profession but
can also give insight into the industry,
such as research, development, or key
changes. It is a partnership between
you and your mentor and is focused on
developing career management skills
and identifying career options and
goals. Since most NAPE members
either work in the Energy industry or
aspire to, I will try and tailor this to the
Energy Industry.
Identifying the right Mentor
Mentorship is all about getting results,
empowering mentees to discover
his/her true potential. So going on to
approach a mentor, you need to be
able to do a reconnaissance and
ensure the following listed about the
mentor you want to approach are
aligned to your career goals and
objectives.
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Credibility, track record of
personal effort: The energy
industry is a small circle, so it is
easy to identify people with high
credibility. What contribution does
this person make to the company
he/she works for? How outspoken
and accessible are they? What
moral standards do they operate
with? What are their contributions
towards NAPE, AAPG, SPE, and
others?
Exact value you can lay your
hands on: As a mentee seeking
out a mentor, your goals should be
clearly laid out, and that way you
can easily pinpoint the exact value
you want to emulate from your
mentor. Also, as a mentee, you
should be ready to add value to
your mentor e.g., have soft skills
your mentor can benefit from,
graphic design, photo editing,
social media savvy etc. Because
often, they don't pay much
a t t e n t i o n t o t h o s e a r e a s
themselves.
Willingness to release/share
valuable information about the
industry: Such information should
in most cases be directly linked to
your job description or information
to scale through any transition that
is about to take place.
Have stages so you can talk at the
same wavelength: It is tempting to
look at people at the top of the
industry and gun for them to be
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your mentor but remember times
have changed and things continue
to change. Someone two levels
above yours might be better
equipped with the right information
for your growth to the next stage
than someone five steps ahead
And of course, the influence they
have in the energy industry: Note
that your primary aim for looking
for a mentor is not to jump onto
them asking for a job, NO. Though
that doesn't mean you shouldn't
look at how easy it is for them to
push to get things done. Who are
the people he/she has in their
circle? How can they influence
your professional image, public
image/personal brand?
Approaching an Industry Mentor
The Energy industry in Nigeria is a
small unique circle, this is important to
state because that way, it is easier to
recognize a worthy mentor and pursue
a shot at mentorship with the person.
The industry also makes it easier to get
an audience with worthy mentors
during conferences and lecture series.
Some ways of approaching a mentor
include:
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We are in the internet age and the
easiest way to approach a mentor
is through LinkedIn or other social
media platforms that you've
realized they're active on. When
sending a connection on LinkedIn,
make sure to add a personal note
stating your intent for the
connection. Once your connection
is accepted by your sighted
mentor, follow it up with a note
about yourself - specifically your
career self and make sure to make
a connection with what they do
NAPENEWS JUNE 2023 59