00;00;02;08 - 00;00;30;10
Speaker 1
Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I am the founder and CEO of Coach Dora LLC. Our guests will be entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders that drive social impact. It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn't have to be.
00;00;30;12 - 00;01;01;15
Speaker 1
Hello and welcome to Building Leadership Community Podcast. I'm your host, Dora Mendez. I'm really excited about, today's episode. But before I introduce today's guest, I want to thank all our listeners and viewers. And if you're new to our podcast, don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Hit that little bell there so you can get notification of when new episodes, air.
00;01;01;17 - 00;01;38;26
Speaker 1
And so, I think I don't know, what do I have so much to say. But since launching Building Leadership Community Podcast, the journey has been nothing short of transformative. As a champion of inclusive leadership, growth and connection, season two is all about deepening the conversations and expanding our impact. At its core. Building Leadership Community Podcasts is about fostering authentic leadership and empowering professionals to build stronger, more engaged communities.
00;01;38;29 - 00;02;09;09
Speaker 1
You'll hear that word a lot today, “Engaged”. Every episode dives into strategies, insights, and personal stories that help leaders navigate their leadership journeys with confidence and purpose. Get ready everyone, because I'm absolutely buzzing with excitement to introduce you to today's phenomenal guest. She is a true visionary in the world of mentorship. Her passion for empowering others is utterly infectious.
00;02;09;11 - 00;02;23;02
Speaker 1
Please give a massive round of applause for the incredible Alison Martin, the founder and Chief Program Officer of Engage Mentoring. Welcome to the stage, Alison.
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Speaker 2
Hi, Dora, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
00;02;26;27 - 00;02;49;12
Speaker 1
Thank you so much. You know, I'm going to put you on the spot. I'm going to say more nice things about you. And if you're listening, and if you're viewing, thank you again. Now, even more through our connection has, been through the digital world. Our connection has been through the digital world.
00;02;49;13 - 00;03;17;20
Speaker 1
Really? I don't think I think this is like, the first time we've been, like, one on one virtually. But your dedication to creating truly impactful mentoring relationships shines through in everything you do. Honestly, it has been so inspiring to witness. And while I am counting down the days until we finally meet in person this summer, some incredible news.
00;03;17;21 - 00;03;32;13
Speaker 1
Alison has invited me to join the Executive Committee of her company. Executive Committee of Engage Mentoring New York Region, New York. You know, I'm in New York. And where are you? Where are you based out of.
00;03;32;18 - 00;03;39;24
Speaker 2
I'm in Charlotte, but the company is headquartered in Indianapolis. But I'm physically in Charlotte.
00;03;39;26 - 00;04;11;23
Speaker 1
This organization's mission is empowering leaders through meaningful connections deep that deeply resonate with everything coach Dora stands for. And I am beyond thrilled to serve as an ambassador for the program that so brilliantly cultivates leaders through mentorship. Today, we're going to learn more about you. Alison, can you tell us a little bit more about your leadership journey, and how you got to be the Founder and Chief Program Officer of Engage Mentoring?
00;04;11;25 - 00;04;31;07
Speaker 2
I would be happy to, because there's you get to a stage in life where you get to look back retrospectively, and we all sort of make sense. And I'm at that stage now and just so thrilled with our partnership for Engage New York. And everything that we get to do together are aligned in our missions to really help impact companies.
00;04;31;09 - 00;04;57;10
Speaker 2
So my background, actually was a nonprofit. So I started out, very early in higher ed, and then I went to work for a large voluntary health organization, doing in a, in a fundraising role. And, at the time, I worked in the schools that did fund raising for our national programs. And within about a year and a half, I got promoted into a regional vice president role.
00;04;57;12 - 00;05;07;27
Speaker 2
And then about six months after that, I was tapped to be the executive director. And at, at that time, I was 29 years old, and I had, 34.
00;05;07;29 - 00;05;14;17
Speaker 1
So let's pause there for a moment, because that's a big you under 30. You were an executive director under 30.
00;05;14;17 - 00;05;37;19
Speaker 2
It was a big deal. I it was it was one of those things that was sort of surreal because, at the time, I was managing a multimillion dollar campaign. We had 34 employees in our office, and I worked with 23 member board of directors, in the Indianapolis area. And at the time, I remember the Indianapolis Business Journal came out with a, spread about the 50 most influential leaders.
00;05;37;19 - 00;05;57;02
Speaker 2
I was not one of them, but I knew most of them, because of my, role, in that, in that nonprofit. And so and that was when I first kind of had this spark of an idea, and I'll share with you a little bit more, than maybe you were asking for. But I actually had a very challenged upbringing.
00;05;57;02 - 00;06;20;20
Speaker 2
So despite my early career success that I just shared, I was actually out of my own when I was 16, and I was emancipated at 17 and had a child at 18. And and so I share that with you, because my early career success had everything to do with mentors who saw my potential importance to me. And, and then I find myself, I'm not even 30 yet, and I have a almost 12 year old.
00;06;20;20 - 00;06;42;02
Speaker 2
Right. And, and, and I have, you know, a board of directors I'm reporting to you and, and staff that are managing a multimillion dollar campaign. And it was, on one hand, on one hand, I was awestruck by the, the influential leaders that I had direct access to and the mentorship that I received because they were all so down to earth, philanthropic and willing to share their perspective.
00;06;42;09 - 00;07;14;14
Speaker 2
And at the time, I thought, gosh, if more women in particular or in my in my age category had this access, I was just really, grateful for it. And yet, my age counterparts, many of them were just starting their careers, just starting to thinking about starting a family. And I was in this different stage. And so, that led to the development and, and then of launching a nonprofit, and the entire intent was really to connect women at all stages of their careers to seasoned executive women.,
00;07;14;16 - 00;07;32;04
Speaker 2
Because I was so inspired and moved by by the women that I got to interact with on a regular basis. And, like I said, I just thought, and at the time, I'll share with you two the direct reports I had were all women, and one by one I brought them into my office and I said, what do you see for your future?
00;07;32;10 - 00;07;39;17
Speaker 2
What do you want? You know what? What are your career goals? And none of them wanted my job. And I said, okay.
00;07;39;20 - 00;08;02;27
Speaker 1
Well, you know, I, I find that so interesting. It's so interesting that you said no one wanted your job because. And this was I know this was years ago. But you're such a shining example, right? So you're an empowered woman, empowering women. So, tell us more.
00;08;02;27 - 00;08;24;06
Speaker 2
Tell us more. Tell her I did, I asked questions, I said why what what about because I had children rate. And at that point I was married but I, I had I was balancing the things that, that they were thinking about and for whatever reason, it was it was I don't I don't want that responsibility. I can't imagine doing that role.
00;08;24;06 - 00;08;44;04
Speaker 2
And and I'm thinking about having children someday, those types of things that those were the things that were coming up. And I reflected on that a lot because I, I felt at the time that there was this perception that if you move into leadership roles, it's going to require double the hours. So we were all in this place where we're balancing so many things and we think, I can't possibly do more.
00;08;44;06 - 00;09;10;24
Speaker 2
And so I just I found in, in my, in my area that a lot of the women I was working with were almost opting out of, of those future opportunities. And I was really passionate about about. And I also know I had experienced my own bias and and setbacks and challenges and, and things like that. And, and when I started the nonprofit and we started sharing stories, that was common, right.
00;09;10;26 - 00;09;41;02
Speaker 2
And it was and I and yet I believe I had the early success that I had those because I had mentors and sponsors before I even knew what that was. And at the same time, I was always very intentional about what my goals were. And I was an advocate for myself. And, and again, nobody told me to do that, but I was very ambitious, and I wanted to grow, and I made I made that known, so that the nonprofit that we developed, ultimately wanted to construct a mentoring program.
00;09;41;04 - 00;10;09;18
Speaker 2
And at the time, we didn't find the technology. We wanted to figure out how to scale it and make it work and didn't find the technology on the market that, that we needed to be able to construct it. So I, I started an LLC, contracted a developer to create a platform, and realized that had other applications, and, from that point, after leaving the nonprofit that I had founded in 2015, I, took the technology into workplaces.
00;10;09;20 - 00;10;30;07
Speaker 2
And in the beginning, it was constructing programs from scratch with really, really big companies. And then I realized, I said, there are so many small to mid-sized companies that were really missing out. And mentorship done well is nothing short of transformative when it comes to workplace culture. And and it really starts with leaders. It really starts with leaders.
00;10;30;07 - 00;10;50;03
Speaker 2
And we believe that helping companies have a strong pipeline of leaders will help save more companies. The pain that comes with promoting someone into a leadership role, much like I was, without really preparing them for for what it takes to be a leader. And as you know, when you move, people in the leadership roles are drawing on different skill sets.
00;10;50;06 - 00;11;05;16
Speaker 2
And we believe that that preparing people ahead of time for those roles is so critically important. And it has a profound impact on culture and and belonging and all those amazing things in terms of helping companies to attract talent ... Exactly.
00;11;05;22 - 00;11;26;25
Speaker 1
And seeing people up for success. And so I just wanted to go back on something you said about, balancing because I found I have two children, ten, ten year old and eight year old. And I found that I was as I was climbing the, you know, the ladder to getting to chief, you know, getting into their C-suite.
00;11;26;27 - 00;11;55;02
Speaker 1
I found that when I had my children, I actually was more disciplined and more efficient with my time because I had to be. Because I had to do I had to get home to tuck them in to make sure they brush their teeth. And then when Covid hit, you know, we were all in our little bubble, you know, they were growing up, you know, and I was listening to them go to school, which was fantastic.
00;11;55;02 - 00;11;56;03
Speaker 2
Can’t even imagine.
00;11;56;03 - 00;12;17;20
Speaker 1
And, you know, it wasn't I was like, I learn, I listen to my son learn how to read. And, that's where I started saying, you know, I, I can, I could I liked this, I liked the freedom. And that's where I kind of started with my own. Like, I really, I think I want to start my own business.
00;12;17;22 - 00;12;40;12
Speaker 1
And I was scared. Of course. And, but I was like, I like this. I like being home with my kids. I like being able to see them grow up because they're only little once, and I shouldn't have to sacrifice, I can do it. I can work really hard. I can run my own business. I can take care of things at home.
00;12;40;15 - 00;13;03;15
Speaker 1
And, it's through mentors, because I had great mentors who showed me that you could act, that you're actually more disciplined and more efficient with your time because you're a mom. Like, being a mom is actually an asset, not a not a deficit. You know, so, I appreciate you sharing that story. It meant it meant a lot to me to hear to hear that story.
00;13;03;15 - 00;13;07;18
Speaker 1
And I think our, our listeners and viewers will appreciate it.
00;13;07;20 - 00;13;29;20
Speaker 2
Yeah. I believe that, too, to be true, Dora. I think that, the more you balance, the more efficient you have to become. And, and letting go of this idea that everything is perfect because in the wheel of life, regardless of what you're balancing, there is no real balance. It's more about prioritization. And I used to say that, and I actually don't think I came up with this on my own.
00;13;29;20 - 00;13;50;04
Speaker 2
I think it was something that was shared with me from one of my mentors. But sometimes when especially when I was working, you know, in an executive role and, and didn't have as much autonomy over my time as I do now. Two things I'll mention. One is in as a leader, I felt like I did have a lot more flexibility than a lot of others.
00;13;50;04 - 00;14;09;07
Speaker 2
So I credit my ability to show up for my kids in the way that I did to being moving into those leadership roles. So it was okay for me to. And this was before people were working from home everywhere. But it was okay for me to take off in the afternoon to take my child to the doctor, because I was they I had a track record.
00;14;09;07 - 00;14;14;14
Speaker 2
They knew I was going to be working at 11:00 at night. And sometimes, you know, when you're you are.
00;14;14;14 - 00;14;36;15
Speaker 1
You weren’t punching a clock. And so that's I mean, that's a big difference. Yeah. Being a leader and between being a manager and a non-manager, you're not punching a clock when you're a manager. So you have much more flexibility with your time. And so that's another myth to dispel about, being a parent in leadership, you actually have more flexibility in leadership.
00;14;36;15 - 00;14;39;07
Speaker 1
So I thank you for lifting that up.
00;14;39;12 - 00;14;59;03
Speaker 2
I agree. Well, and the piece I was going to share that my mentor had said was sometimes my family wins and sometimes my work wins. And so there were examples where I was able to take off in the middle of the day to run and take care of one of my children, or to be present for something. They're honor roll, or, you know, or some some sort of recognition.
00;14;59;05 - 00;15;22;19
Speaker 2
And then there were times one, one that I will never forget, which was my daughter was in a play. And when the information came through, I already had a trip planned to Dallas that I absolutely could not move. And I, I sat down and I said, baby, I'm so sorry. I cannot I can't come to this. And that year for Christmas, she gave me, it was a DVD at the time of her performance.
00;15;22;21 - 00;15;42;12
Speaker 2
And, and it was my. But it was so sweet. And and, you know, I struggled with guilt for things like that as well, but, I am on the other side of this now. I can say I've got a 29 year old and a 23 year old, and, they are incredible humans that I could not be more proud of.
00;15;42;15 - 00;16;04;19
Speaker 2
And and I am also proud of the example that I showed that, I mean, I wasn't perfect. No, nobody is, but, but I feel like, we had to have a lot of really authentic conversations, about priorities. And, you know, this whole this thing about work isn't this big you're thing, you know? Yeah.
00;16;04;22 - 00;16;06;19
Speaker 1
I think they've got to give you some grace.
00;16;06;19 - 00;16;27;01
Speaker 2
They did. And I'll tell you, there's there was one time that I sat them down over, over the dinner table and, and because they were complaining about something related to work. And I said, hey, basically, I can take a different job that would, you know, require less, but our lifestyle would change significantly.
00;16;27;04 - 00;16;28;22
Speaker 2
They did not want that, so...
00;16;28;22 - 00;16;34;18
Speaker 1
Yeah, we like going on vacation like, you know, going to college. So you know it's a it's all a balance.
00;16;34;18 - 00;17;02;18
Speaker 2
Yeah. So but I just think like any other relationship even with your kids communication is key. And, and and I do believe that, it's incumbent upon all of us to chart whatever path we feel called to do. And, and what I know, one of the things we're going to talk about is purpose. But, it really does feel amazing when you know that you're living in your purpose and doing work that you were put here to put here to do with really great people.
00;17;02;20 - 00;17;15;21
Speaker 2
And, you know, that's the message that I think the leadership journey really does light that path. And, and just so appreciative of what you're doing to put this out to the world, too.
00;17;15;23 - 00;17;42;12
Speaker 1
Thank you. So let's continue building, incredible communities, one meaningful episode at a time. So, Alison, can you tell folks? Well, first of all, I want to go back to something that you said about technology. Can you share a little bit more about what engaging mentors do? Because you're you're pretty, you're a trailblazer. You're kind of ahead of the curve.
00;17;42;14 - 00;17;51;08
Speaker 1
Now everyone's talking about AI and tools, but you were really ahead of ahead of the curve. Can you share a little bit more about the platform that you created?
00;17;51;10 - 00;18;17;13
Speaker 2
Yeah, sure. And, thank you for saying that. So I referenced earlier, we developed a, platform that essentially allows participants to select mentors based on topics, and there's a scheduling tool and all sorts of resources to help construct that. But what's really magical is, and I speak a lot of times on behalf of the organization about why most mentoring programs fail.
00;18;17;15 - 00;18;39;25
Speaker 2
And a lot of times there's there's lack of training, there's lack of context, there's lack of learning outcomes that we can track. And yet, mentoring is a powerfully efficient way of, of of learning. And the byproduct is the relationships that develop. But unfortunately, in most programs, they focus so much on the relationship that they fail to see to track the learning outcomes.
00;18;39;27 - 00;18;59;28
Speaker 2
And and when you think about how we develop leaders, it truly is there are a couple things that that I want to share. One is you said it earlier, it's lonely at the top. So the higher you go, the more critical mentoring becomes, the harder it can be to access. So our program provides an outlet for leaders to connect with other leaders.
00;19;00;02 - 00;19;38;03
Speaker 2
And then at the same time, when you think about potential employees who maybe aren't in a leadership role yet, what do you do as an organization? How do you really prepare them? Right? You can take them through some classroom training, and there are great tools and resources and and courses that people can take. But the tactical learning of, of not only connecting and developing relationships with leaders and learning on topics related to leadership, but also teaching them how to develop those skills and pour into others, really is transformative in terms of the worldview that people develop, as even before they've stepped into that leadership role.
00;19;38;09 - 00;20;02;17
Speaker 2
And, and I don't know how else you actually prepare people then by teaching them how to mentor and how to pour into others. And so it really is a beautiful thing. So the software, facilitates, the matching and the scheduling. Our team, manages it from end to end. And so we like to say that, you know, we work with clients and we want them to see us as an extension of their team, whether they have five people in the program or 5000.
00;20;02;17 - 00;20;24;04
Speaker 2
We we manage it for them. So we're not over tasking their HR department, but we truly do deliver results that we could measure. And again, when I think back to my first leadership role that I was promoted into, I didn't have any. I was promoted so quickly, that I really didn't have any preparation. And they did some great things.
00;20;24;04 - 00;20;46;21
Speaker 2
And, you know, they they brought in a coach to work with me and that sort of thing on the, on the back end. They brought in a coach like me? They did, they did, and I needed it, believe me. Dora. And so, I, I just, I, I reflect, I knew how important this is and, and how this is a very real issue for organizations.
00;20;46;23 - 00;21;21;22
Speaker 1
So I really, like what you said that mentoring. And I think there's some myths that we can dispel that, mentoring isn't just talking because I think that you. You said it when why programs fail because of your platform. You can measure outcomes. And I think the measure like the measurability, the the the measure, some people don't think you can measure like the relationship and they think it's just talking.
00;21;21;22 - 00;21;56;02
Speaker 1
So I, I really I think that's what makes your platform unique and why it's so special. And so, yeah, I think that's, that's that's great. So I want to, give you some time, if you could, you talked a little bit about like, what you would tell yourself your younger self, but could you share what you have any advice like if you could give like one good piece of advice to future leaders, the next generation of leaders, what would that be?
00;21;56;05 - 00;22;22;06
Speaker 2
I my piece of advice would be to reach out and learn as much as you can and and I you don't need a formal mentoring program to access mentors. And so if you think about where you want to go, think about the relationships that you can cultivate to so you can really learn and shortcut your learning and again, expand your worldview a little bit, because our world view has everything to do with everything that we've experienced up until today.
00;22;22;08 - 00;22;46;13
Speaker 2
Right. And so that's what that's where we are. When you work with a mentor, you really can shorten your, your, learning path, if you will. And at the same time, start to think about what skills you need to develop to move into the roles that you want to move into and your plan for developing those skills. Do that now, I don't know whether you're brand new to the workplace.
00;22;46;13 - 00;23;04;23
Speaker 2
If you if you have your sights set on wanting to grow as a leader, my advice is to learn as much as you can and to be intentional about the relationships that you develop, and to be intentional about your own learning and development, so that you can grow in those particular skill sets and be as effective as possible.
00;23;04;26 - 00;23;08;07
Speaker 2
So you can go as far as you possibly can.
00;23;08;09 - 00;23;23;07
Speaker 1
That's great advice.
00;23;23;10 - 00;23;32;10
Speaker 2
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Speaker 1
00;23;46;26 - 00;24;07;08
Speaker 2
00;24;07;14 - 00;24;08;16
Speaker 2
00;24;08;18 - 00;24;16;27
Speaker 1
00;24;17;00 - 00;24;18;04
Speaker 2
00;24;18;06 - 00;24;32;27
Speaker 1
So, so can you please share with our, listeners and viewers how they can learn more about Engage Mentoring, about you and how they can, get in touch with you?
00;24;32;29 - 00;24;56;21
Speaker 2
Absolutely. So, first of all, I'm on LinkedIn so you can connect with me there, but EngageMentoring.com is where you can learn more about the program that we referenced earlier, the Eengage program, which is for leaders and high potentials, as well as our mentoring certification, which even an individual can sign up for. So if you're looking to advance your skills as a mentor or even as a mentee, we've got some resources there for you to take advantage of and engage.
00;24;56;21 - 00;24;59;24
Speaker 2
Mentoring.com is the best resource for that.
00;24;59;27 - 00;25;21;17
Speaker 1
Thank you for sharing that. And so I also wanted to share I have a copy of this Learning to Lead Through mentoring. Allison Martin, would you give me a copy of the other day? And I love it. It's a great workbook. It's got like, I was, like, writing in it and, like, taking notes is wonderful. It's like it's a workbook.
00;25;21;20 - 00;25;45;07
Speaker 1
This is like, you know, instead of, like a textbook. You mentioned you mentioned, you know, This to me is it's almost like a textbook, but, a guidebook, which is great. So, thank you for sharing that with me. And I hope folks go in and go out and get it. Allison, thank you so much. It means so much that you were here today.
00;25;45;09 - 00;25;54;04
Speaker 2
Thank you so much for it's wonderful to be here.
00;25;54;06 - 00;26;23;15
Speaker 1
You've been listening to Building Leadership Community. Watch on YouTube @CoachDoraM. Listen, wherever you get your podcast, follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube @CoachDoraM. Visit me on the web at CoachDoraMendez.com. Hosted by me, Dora Mendez. Produced by Dora Mendez and Dylan Rogers. Graphics, editing, and sound mixing by Dylan Rogers.
