Mentoring Champions - Sharing knowledge and perspectives is what mentoring is about
Michelle Wright has been a pipeliner for more than 20 years. She has worked in a variety of roles and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience that she often shares with her younger colleagues at Access Pipeline. When she learned about CEPA Foundation’s Mentoring Program, she didn’t think twice about signing up.
“Joining the mentoring program seemed like a great opportunity to share my skills and expertise outside of my company,” says Michelle, who has taken on two mentees since joining the program. “As a mentor, I’m here to ask the questions that get my mentees thinking. We have a lot of open conversations and it’s a great way for them to develop something they’re trying to achieve. But it’s up to them to put the wheels in motion to take the steps to make it happen.”
The benefits to being mentored are no secret; career guidance, insider industry views, support, fresh perspectives and skills development are all amongst the advantages of having a mentor like Michelle. However, she’s quick to acknowledge that her mentees aren’t the only ones who have benefited from the relationship.
“It has been really interesting to learn more about how my mentees view the industry,” she says. “Learning this gives me a different perspective that I now take back to my day-to-day work activities.”
