I had the opportunity to spend a day pretty much in Chicago at the Union League Club for the Plank Mentor Gala, hosted by The Plank Center. I was honored to get the invitation from Karla Gower and immediately planned my trip up for this event.
I was also honored and happy to have had the chance to see other 2015 Educator Fellows at the event as well and talk about their experiences this summer for their fellowship. What was great to see among all of the fellows is the fact we promoted and shared our stories about our experience all on social media. As a refresher of my experience with GM this summer, here are my posts:
Mentoring is one of the most important elements we do as professors. Giving our students and others the opportunity to get the best start into their profession and help them understand the potential they can tap into with a little guidance.
A true highlight for me was to spend the evening with some of the great General Motors colleagues I had a chance to work with this summer in Detroit. I had a great conversation with Juli, Anne, Allison, and Muna. We were able to talk about what is happening this summer, what I have been able to incorporate into my classes based on my experience at GM this summer, and start plans on bringing GM out to visit UofL and Louisville this spring. Super excited!!
Another highlight for me was to finally meet Jessika White, the communication manager for the Plank Center, in person! We have had a lot of conversations via Twitter and email over the last few months, and she’s been doing such a great job with the social media strategy and implementation for the Plank Center. Great meeting you again, Jessica!
However, there were many wonderful points and insights shared by the award winners last night about mentoring, and I want to share with you all some that truly resonated with me:
Reach out and mentor someone that’s different: There was a lot of talk about mentoring individuals with different backgrounds, skills, and perspectives into PR. I believe this as well – we are all not the same and come together with different ideas and perspectives. We, as professors, have to look at each student and see what they are interested in and how we can both help them in our classes, but also learn from them as well.
Get the best possible players, prepare them well, and sit back and enjoy: That’s what’s awesome for me to see as a professor – when you see a student grow into the professional that is truly making strides and moves within the industry. There’s no greater reward and this is one of the best things about my job.
We have to be generous in helping others: Everyone needs a bit of help and guidance, and I know I have been truly fortunate to have some amazing mentors who have pushed, encouraged, and supported me over the years. We need to be there for the future generation of scholars, practitioners, and researchers. Mentoring and forming these relationships takes time, but the reward is more than anything you can imagine.
Be fearless, break down barriers, but know when to step back and listen: I think this is important for all of us to note. We want to inspire, push, and explore new areas and perspectives in the field. Sometimes this is a little scary, but the way we evolve as a profession is to get outside of our comfort zone, experiment and observe, and share. However, we have to know when to step back and see our students and others we are mentoring shine and become their own mentor to pay it forward.
Be there to help others tell their story: I think this is key – there are many wonderful and truly inspiring stories out there that need to be showcased and shared with the world. As mentors, we have the opportunity to do this and this point is one of the main reasons why I wanted to launch my #ProudProf blog and LinkedIn post features from former students of mine.
I’d like to send out a very big and special thank you to Karla Gower, Keith Burton, Jessika White, Bruce Berger, and everyone at The Plank Center. This was truly an amazing event to attend and be a part of, as well as being recognized at the event as a 2015 Educator Plank Fellow. It was a pleasure seeing everyone and hearing such inspirational stories and perspective on mentoring.
If you want to see what was shared and discussed, make sure to 1) Follow @ThePlankCenter on Twitter and Instagram, 2) Check out the #PlankFellow hashtag, and 3) be on the lookout for more information about the event and the 2016 Educator Fellowship program (This is a MUST do for PR Professors!)
Thank you again for this truly inspiring and remarkable experience!
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
