Having a mentor-mentee relationship is valuable for development and growth. In this LaunchPad Essentials Insights Seminar, two thought leaders sit down to discuss Mentoring.
In the fourth session from the latest LaunchPad Essentials Seminar series, 2 experienced EdTech founders sat down to discuss Mentoring and dive deep into the journey, logistics or struggles that you may be experiencing in your companies. This session also included a quick-fire mentor and mentee speed dating session.
We were joined by:
- Gerard Holland – CEO of MentorMatch
- David Linke – Managing Director at EduGrowth
The highlights of their discussion were:
How did you find mentors and know they were right for your business?
How do you define what you need?
How do you deal with the challenges that knock you about?
How do you find mentors to help you ‘design’ what your team should look like?
Key takeaways
How did you find mentors and know they were right for your business?
Gerard advises that it is important to:
- Surround yourself with more entrepreneurial people.
- Finding advisors from startups who are on the same journey or similar path as you.
- Choosing people who have been through it will guide you through the tough process of starting your own business in a way that people that haven’t been through it can’t.
David also dives into the topic saying that, when you seek advice from someone, you should only keep the bits that make sense for you and your journey.
“No one knows your journey but you. You have to be able to find the intelligence and insight that makes sense to you.”
David Linke, EduGrowth
How do you define what you need?
Gerard says that it’s different at different points in time. As you go through the business life cycle, you need different advice and support.
“Work out as you go, get advice from 3-4 different people, and take in what you think is relevant.”
Gerard Holland, MentorMatch
How do you deal with the challenges that knock you about?
Gerard advises to get people around you who you can have the conversation with.
“Talking is the simplest thing you can do.”
Gerard Holland, MentorMatch
How do you find mentors to help you ‘design’ what your team should look like?
Gerard says that this is the part he found the most challenging. It is a very fluid environment.
“Your company’s organisational chart isn’t something that you set and forget. It is something that you’re doing every single month.“
Gerard Holland, MentorMatch
Key Takeaways
Gerard Holland:
- Your Co-founder and the people you work with throughout the process will be one of your biggest mentors
- Finding the right mentor is hard and time-consuming, but the reward is a worthwhile investment
- Seek mentors from the startup ecosystem rather than simply focussing on the corporate sector
Speakers
Gerard Holland
CEO – MentorMatch
Gerard is the CEO of Outcome.Life and its spin-offs, InternMatch and MentorMatch. Gerard is a chartered accountant and has been a business advisor to middle market businesses and early stage innovation companies for over a decade.
David Linke
Managing Director – EduGrowth
David leads EduGrowth bringing decades of experience leading education technology software and services businesses across Asia Pacific.