What Makes a Successful Mentorship?

Sarah Wesley

Mentorship often leads to greater career success while building stronger connections between employees. From sales leaders to technology experts, mentorship’s impact reaches every corner of AT&T. Together, both mentor and mentee gain a deeper understanding of what it means to lead.

Sarah Wesley, a member of our dedicated Talent Development team, shares why it’s so valuable for new members of #LifeAtATT to find a mentor and connect early.

“It’s more important than ever to connect with others in the business,” Sarah said. “Just doing your day-to-day job – that can put development at a standstill. When you’re able to create a true connection with leaders, it brings more opportunities to push your career forward and enhances your professional growth.”

The First Step to Successful Mentorship

Building a mentor-mentee connection is often easier said than done. Working with a mentor at an appropriate level is often one of the challenges employees face.

“We guide employees to focus on building mentor connections with leaders a level or two above them so they can provide insights, context and experiences that either they may not have had or they have limited visibility into. The mentor should be able to advise the mentee on situations because they’ve been there and they know what it takes to succeed.

“Mentors should advise mentees on leveraging key career moments. They connect regularly to set the objectives of the engagement and determine logistics and timing. Sometimes the connection is about the mentor strengthening a specific skillset. Other times it’s about building relationships.”

Long-term Benefits of Successful Mentorship

Successful mentors typically take their careers into leadership roles, always on the lookout for teammates they can trust to help execute their plans. That’s when they become sponsors for the employees they’ve mentored, further lifting up those former mentees.

“It’s all about paying it forward and taking everyone to the next level. When you’re a mentor, you also work through the ‘risk taking,’ you look out for mentees who share your interests and can mutually provide support.”

Our Talent Development team understands there’s more to be done in making mentorship accessible, especially after a year that made working virtually a norm. As a result, the team is working to develop a platform to encourage new connections, whether 1:1 or in mentoring groups. Employee Groups benefit from the corporate mentoring tools and resources as well. Employee Groups are already a natural way for people of similar backgrounds and interests to connect, building off of that foundation will be key to success in the near future.

Overall, for employees like Sarah mentoring is critical and a driver in her own career.

“Successful mentorship has impacted me greatly because it allows me the opportunity to build relationships I might otherwise not have. I’m connecting with others to learn from them, understanding the business outside of my own job and growing my professional network.