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+

HR practiceWorkplace Issues and Advice

My mentor: Zoe Venn, project manager, personnel, John Lewis

by Personnel Today 13 May 2009
by Personnel Today 13 May 2009

My mentor is a head of department within our online business, John Lewis Direct, where I worked before my recent transfer to our head office. He and I worked together on a piece of personnel project work – I was his HR contact.


I wanted somebody who could help me really understand my strengths and explore my career options. As I was new to the e-commerce industry, I needed support in putting structure around personal business planning, which I was getting involved in at a more senior level.


Coaching


What I identified from his questioning techniques was that he actually used the coaching style when mentoring. As I am a coach myself, I was able to recognise a good one, and I think that is a key skill to have – it’s very easy to fall into the ‘tell’ situation when somebody asks for your help. He was really good at making me think through solutions for myself. I got real value from that. It gave me extra confidence.


I’d had previous experience of being mentored, within a formal mentoring scheme. Through that I identified what I liked in a mentor, what skills and personality traits in people I responded well to. I also knew the type of questions I would ask myself in trying to work out who would be a good mentor. I think that there’s something to be said for identifying somebody, yourself, that you really resonate with.


Next step


From my original three aims, around career planning, understanding e-commerce and business planning, I identified my new role and moved on from John Lewis Direct (JLD). My mentor forced me to think about leaving my previous role at JLD and what I needed to do to do a good handover and leave the business in good shape. He made me think about how to work through the transition into my new role.


Initially we met every couple of weeks, but once the project finished we began meeting once a month. I was thinking about my career options, and doing some research into what direction I wanted to go in. He was a sounding board for that. When it got to interview stage, we began to meet more intensely. What we’ve agreed going forward with my new role is that we’ll catch up once a month.


I have a structure in mind going into the meetings. We talk that through, agreeing what it is that I want to get out of that particular encounter, but the actual meetings are relaxed, over coffee. He’s very busy but I can always pick up the phone and say: “Hey – have you got five minutes?”

John Lewis
Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Carval e-payslips Deliver Green Costs Savings
next post
West London Mental Health NHS Trust commissions online diversity training package for all staff

You may also like

What does it mean to be an HR...

22 Sep 2023

Lloyds of London boss urges greater return to...

7 Sep 2023

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

25 Aug 2023

Amazon joins Google in demanding more office attendance

11 Aug 2023

Kemi Badenoch: ‘confused HR colleagues’ misunderstand Equality Act

31 Jul 2023

The state of employee engagement 2023 (survey)

5 Jul 2023

Standards body publishes new D&I guidance

21 Jun 2023

Puppy love: different strokes for different folks at...

16 Jun 2023

Former whips call for ‘HR department’ to deal...

12 Jun 2023

Being punctual is greatly overrated, finds research

5 May 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...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+