Hungry professionals are often eager to snag a spot closer to the top of the corporate ladder. But regardless of what rung you’re on, you aren’t going to reach the top—or stay there—without some help. For many women, a mentor helps illuminate the path that leads to their ideal position.
Elaine Agather, managing director and regional head at JPMorgan Chase, explains that mentorship has nothing to do with age or stature. And there is no “graduation day,” she says: “It’s not, ‘OK, now I’m a certain age, now I’m the mentor.’ To stay relevant you have to keeping seeking out mentors.”
Although Agather mentors many young professionals, she also admits to seeking out help from others throughout her career. She has needed them to continue to excel in her industry. “The business changes, the industry changes—you’re always needing a mentor,” she says.
People sometimes tend to describe mentorship too rigidly, Agather says. But it isn’t black or white. Just because you’ve been in the game longer, that doesn’t mean a younger professional can’t mentor you. She points to Anne Motsenbocker of JPMorgan Chase, someone she describes as both a mentor and a mentee. The banking veterans have developed a friendship that relies on truth, honesty, and feedback.
“Leadership can be lonely. People think you get to a certain stage and you know everything,” Motsenbocker says. “Smart leaders know they don’t know everything, and having that network of people you can go to bounce ideas off of, to share options—it’s a real sign of strength.”
Mentorship is like a spider web; the bigger the web, the bigger your support network, and the smoother the road is on your path to the top.
