Lynn Clarke of Microsoft Canada talks about here experience as a mentee in the Mentorship program offered by the Amercian Marketing Association of Toronto and Schulich Executive Education Centre in a video (see below).
When Bob Froese was asked to be a mentor with the American Marketing Association’s Mentor Exchange Program in Toronto, he was hesitant at first given the time commitment and because he was already working with another mentorship program.
But when the CEO of Bob’s Your Uncle saw the list of potential mentees, most of which were in well established in the industry, he couldn’t say no. After the AMA teamed him up with mentee Mark Drager of video production firm Phanta Media, Froese realized he wasn’t the only one who would be learning something from the program.
“I immediately had as much respect for him as he appeared to have for me,” Froese said of Drager. “As a mentor, it puts you on your toes a bit.”
The pair missed just one monthly meeting during the nine-month program, and the conversations they did have often went into overtime.
Froese, recipient of the program’s 2016 mentor of the year award, said he not only offered advice based on his 30 years in the industry, but received a “good mental reset” for his own career.
“What I got out of it was that sense of ‘let’s never be complacent or take for granted what we’ve built or done,’” Froese said. “Someone is coming behind you willing to eat your lunch with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and skill. It puts you back into that phase of your life.”
The program, entering its seventh year this fall, has evolved to include more partnerships and participants. Today, it’s conducted in partnership with the Schulich Executive Education Centre, leveraging the Donohue Mentoring System.
The program has also become increasingly competitive, with about three people applying for each of the 50 mentor and mentee positions offered annually, according to co-chair Craig Lund.
The AMA Mentor Exchange program is now taking applicants for the fall.
Read the complete article originally published in marketingmag.ca July 18, 2016.