I have always experienced mentoring as a two‑way street. Whether the mentee reported directly to me, indirectly, or came from another company, the dynamic was the same. Each time there was something to learn and something to teach.
A recurring theme was the frustration that comes with stakeholder politics. I often heard variations such as “this person did that”, “it is politically driven”, “I am now part of this agenda”, or “the same thing happened again”. For me, this frustration was usually a signal. It showed that the person was ready to learn something they had not yet recognised.
I would point out that if they could see what was frustrating them, they were already in a position to learn. Many people keep trying without ever noticing the patterns. The question then became whether they were willing to try something different, to explore other ways of achieving a goal. This was the moment when I often saw a shift in gears, and when true connections were made.
Part of the DNA Insights woven through the book The DNA of a Product Manager.
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