Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Careers in HRThe HR profession

My mentor: Victoria Woodison, HR director, UK and Ireland, Gate Gourmet

by Personnel Today 9 Nov 2009
by Personnel Today 9 Nov 2009

My first formal mentoring relationship began 18 months ago. I decided to approach someone in the business – someone in HR, but not in my direct reporting line.

I wanted to develop myself, and my career, and to find out how to handle difficult situations through learning from other people’s experiences. So I approached someone for whom I had a lot of respect. I’d seen how he communicated, how he dealt with situations and how he solved problems. And I liked his pragmatic approach.

Gate Gourmet then introduced a formal talent programme, including a mentoring programme for all participants. As part of that programme, I was entitled to a mentor. Although the mentors were allocated by the company, with some luck, and a little bit of persuasion, I managed to end up with the same person.

Initially, we met more formally and more often – about once a month. As the relationship has developed, and as we have become more comfortable with each other, this has changed. We might meet for lunch and a chat, or I might just phone him for advice. It has become a little more about bouncing ideas around or sharing my concerns, whereas at the start it was much more about my formal development plans.

He was a great support when I was applying for my current role. We were getting a new managing director at the time, so I had to try to convince a new boss that I was the right person for the job. Clearly, he had no experience of me, and no knowledge of me other than what people had told him. I had to do a sales pitch on why he should appoint me, and my mentor was a great source of support and motivation.

He has helped immensely with my confidence. For me, that’s been one of the key benefits of the mentoring relationship. Getting feedback in a safe environment, where you can both challenge and listen to it, has improved my confidence no end.

He has also introduced me to people – he has set up meetings for me with his contacts. He has real confidence in me, and has challenged me, to get the best out of me. He has helped me see what I have achieved – and what I can achieve.

If this mentoring relationship were to end – for whatever reason – I would certainly look for another mentor. Next time I would look for someone who could help me develop my commercial expertise.

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Women MPs in revolt over plans to scrap childcare tax breaks
next post
Editor’s comment

You may also like

CBI appoints chief people officer after misconduct allegations

16 May 2023

Artificial intelligence for HR: What is it and...

4 May 2023

HR vacancies fell by a third in early...

3 May 2023

Employment bodies IES and IPA to merge

27 Apr 2023

People analytics is HR’s biggest skills gap, finds...

4 Apr 2023

News UK appoints head of diversity: Movers and...

30 Mar 2023

Yodel appoints new director of HR operations

28 Mar 2023

BBC appoints new chief people officer

27 Feb 2023

HR salaries struggle to keep up with inflation

20 Feb 2023

Apple appoints first chief people officer: Movers and...

10 Feb 2023

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+