The Power of Mentorship in Career Growth

When I landed my first full-time job out of college, I felt like I had made it. I was 22, eager, dressed a little too formally for an entry-level marketing role, and fueled by caffeine and ambition. What I didn’t know at the time was that despite my education and energy, I was entirely unprepared for the unwritten rules of the working world.

That’s when I met Carla.

She wasn’t my manager or even someone from my team. She worked three floors up in a different department, but we crossed paths during a company volunteer day. While we were packing school supplies into backpacks, she asked what I did, how I liked the job, and where I saw myself going. At the time, I didn’t really have an answer.

Her reply was simple:

“Let’s get coffee sometime. I’ve been where you are.”

I didn’t realize it then, but that coffee chat would become the beginning of one of the most meaningful relationships of my career.

Carla was a few decades older, incredibly sharp, and known across the company for her calm leadership and contagious positivity. Over coffee, she didn’t try to impress me or lecture me. She just listened. And when she spoke, it felt like she was handing me tiny roadmaps I didn’t even know I needed.

She taught me how to read between the lines in meetings, how to speak up without apologizing, and—perhaps most importantly—how to recognize my worth even when I felt invisible.

Our chats became regular. Sometimes formal, sometimes casual, always helpful. Carla never told me what to do. Instead, she asked the right questions, helped me reflect, and reminded me that I didn’t have to have it all figured out by 25.

There was one particular moment I’ll never forget.

A year into the job, I was up for a promotion. I had worked hard for it—long nights, taking on extra projects, staying a few steps ahead. But at the last minute, it went to someone else. I smiled through it, congratulated the person who got it, and went back to my desk pretending it didn’t hurt.

That afternoon, Carla messaged me:

“Want to take a walk?”

We circled the office block twice before I finally let the words out: “I feel like I’m doing everything right, and it still wasn’t enough.”

She stopped walking, looked me straight in the eye, and said gently,

“You are enough. But this wasn’t about you not being good—it was about someone else being noticed first. We’ll fix that.”

And she did.

She helped me identify where I could be more visible, how to communicate my wins without feeling arrogant, and when to step back and let others speak. It wasn’t about playing politics—it was about learning how to be seen in a world that often overlooks quiet achievers.

Over the next few years, I got that promotion. And then another. Eventually, I found myself in meetings where I used to take notes now leading the conversation. I still reached out to Carla, but our conversations shifted. She listened, but she also asked how I was guiding others.

And that’s when I realized something:

True mentorship doesn’t just elevate—it multiplies.

Because of Carla, I understood what it felt like to be seen, supported, and challenged. And when I saw someone else in that same uncertain place I had been—bright but unsure, eager but overlooked—I extended a hand, just like Carla did for me.

I’m a manager now. Some days I still feel like that wide-eyed 22-year-old, but now I know I don’t have to figure everything out alone. I carry Carla’s lessons with me every day—in how I lead, how I listen, and how I lift others.

I’ve come to believe that mentorship isn’t just a nice-to-have.

It’s a game-changer.

Not just for those being mentored, but for the mentors too. Because something magical happens when experience meets curiosity, when encouragement meets ambition.

We grow.

Together.

Moral of the Story:

The right mentor doesn’t just open doors—they help you build them. Mentorship is about more than advice—it’s about belief, guidance, and passing the torch so that someone else can light the way for others too. Never underestimate the power of showing up for someone with a listening ear and a little wisdom. It can change everything.

-----------------------------------

Thank you for reading...

Regards: Fazal Hadi