I recently reached the Top 1% of mentors on ADPList merely by the number of hours put into their system for the third consecutive month. In March, I even ranked number four worldwide! While this empty achievement marked a significant milestone in terms of time, it means nothing if you're only there for yourself. Here's the story of how I got there and the lessons I've learned.
My initial steps into the world of mentoring were quite informal, using platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook back in 2017. At that time, mentoring was a way for me to share my knowledge and also, admittedly, to boost my ego a bit. It felt good to be recognized as someone who had valuable advice to offer.
However, as these platforms phased out their mentoring features, I phased out my mentoring drive, it wasn't novel anymore. That’s about when ADPList entered the picture, a platform that started as a simple Google form to help designers who lost their jobs during COVID-19. I signed up out of curiosity and didn’t engage much beyond my initial mailing list I subscribed to. I got busy with what came to be my most senior role at the time, followed by another, and even recording an album.
After publishing my album, I experienced burnout from music and was hungry for new ways to channel my energy. That's when I noticed a former mentee I met through facebook flaunting a top mentor badge from ADPList. In my own big head, I was wondering how a junior designer I met a year ago was giving career advice. After signing up properly to ADPList, I was immediately surprised by the feature maturity of their system. I like to explore things, so I gave it a go. Now, a bit older, my motivation wasn't ego like when I started 6 years ago, but the chance to empower others like I did in my previous two roles.
ADPList's platform was a revelation. The user interface, booking tools, and integrated calls were impressively sophisticated and cohesive. It quickly became one of my favorite apps, joining Notion, Airtable, and Duolingo.
I remember getting my first "cold" mentorship booking. I remember coming in with the confidence from previous mentorship experiences from LinkedIn or Facebook, without the hassle of dealing with any logistics. I wanted more of it.
Two months in, I lost my job. So I decided to open up the booking schedule to be anywhere between 7am to 10pm any day, and bookings got out of control. I started receiving several bookings from people all over the world. I met some incredible designers. Genuinely curious people with a growth mindset. And then, of course, the opposite bunch.
Some of the designers I met wanted direct help with specific workplace problems, effectively wanting me to do their work. Others sought validation. Others just wanted to chat or advice on moving to new countries.
This quickly taught me the importance of direct communication, and setting clear boundaries right from the start of each session. I stated clearly what I could and could not help with, and tried to shift the conversation to empower them, instead of doing the job for them. This approach helped manage expectations and kept the sessions focused and effective. Sessions started improving. Requests started shifting.
Great Person. Raw feedback.
Through mentoring, I also discovered something surprising about myself—I was a much better communicator than I've always thought. Every one of my mentees rated my communication style highly, which helped me reframe myself in a new light professionally.
He communicates effectively and clearly, and at the same time, he provided me with valuable advice
Mentoring en-masse, helped me realise that my ego was healthy in size (not too big or too small). I noticed this because my mentees did most of the talking (at least most of the time). I noticed that instead of giving them solutions to their problems, I was empathizing with their situation, and brainstorming with them. I was effectively doing user-centered mentoring.
Right from the beginning of our session, Edgar stood out to me as an exceptional listener. He demonstrated an understanding of my situation and promptly identified my needs.
I lastly understood why the Junior designer from the beginning of the post was mentoring. Mentoring helps you listen, think, reflect and problem solve on the spot. No wonder why she became a great designer.
Mentoring has been incredibly rewarding, but it's also demanding. The drive to help as many as possible mixed up with the gamification aspect of ADPList led to overwhelming myself. I realised that I had to treat mentoring like a job in terms of commitment and balance.
After reaching the milestone of 3000 minutes of mentoring and ranking in the top 1%, I’ve decided to slow things a bit to focus on my next career move.
Reflecting on this experience, my advice to anyone considering mentoring is straightforward: do it for the right reasons and with a mindset focused on learning and helping. Remember, it's about spotlighting your mentee, not yourself. Pace yourself and don't get caught up in chasing accolades.
As for ADPList, while it has transformed how we connect and learn from each other, it must also factor in features for the wellbeing of its mentors.
These insights have reshaped my approach to mentoring and have deeply influenced my professional and personal development.
