Five Reasons Everyone Needs A Mentor

No matter what industry or role you’re in, or how long you’ve been there, a good mentor will guide you through pivotal career decisions, act as a neutral sounding board for ideas, and provide support during hard times. Though young people often seek out mentors in the early stages of their careers, more mid-level and seasoned professionals forgo mentorship. Here are five reasons everyone needs a mentor, no matter what stage of their career they’re at.
You’ll always have a go-to person to call
When you're making a tough decision, it can be difficult to know whose advice to ask. While family members or colleagues can provide valuable insights, having your one "go to" person in times of crisis can be valuable. It's comforting to know that when things get tough, you always know who to call.
Mentors provide an outside perspective
A mentor can also provide an outside perspective. When a problem hits close to home or may affect your colleagues or employees it can be difficult to find a neutral third party to listen and provide advice. A mentor won't have a stake in the issue you're trying to address and will be able to provide unbiased advice.
Mentors have the benefit of experience
Though your mentor may not have direct experience in your industry (though that's very helpful), a good mentor will have seen it all and can help you navigate through the type of tough life decisions everyone struggles with. Mentors have ideally encountered some of these challenges themselves and worked through them successfully.
A mentor will know you over time
As people increasingly switch jobs and even careers more frequently over time, having a mentor who has seen you in many roles can be enormously valuable. They can help put your hard decisions in context of your larger life and will provide the type of guidance one can only dispense by knowing someone over many years.
Mentors can bring new opportunities your way
Having someone who you respect and admire in an outside organization with different contacts can often lead to opportunities you may have not been aware of otherwise. Whether it's a new career or partnership opportunity, or a board position or speaking engagement, a mentor will help grow your network and propel your career forward.

Karl McDonnell

VMware vCenter Server 6.0 Update 1 Release Notes

• Customer Experience Improvement Program: The Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) provides VMware with information that enables VMware to improve the VMware products and services and to fix problems. When you choose to participate in CEIP, VMware will collect technical information listed below about your use of the VMware products and services in CEIP reports on a regular basis. This information does not personally identify you. 
• Feature Enhancement: Suite UI is now enabled by default for the vSphere Web Client.
• Support for SSLv3: Support for SSLv3 has been disabled by default.
• vCSA Authentication for Active Directory: VMware vCenter Server Virtual Appliance (vCSA) has been modified to only support AES256-CTS/AES128-CTS/RC4-HMAC encryption for Kerberos authentication between vCSA and Active Directory.
• Hybrid Cloud Manager: Hybrid Cloud Manager has been updated for vSphere, and can be accessed directly from the home page of vSphere Web Client.
• FT-vSAN Interoperability: vSAN and FT work together.
• Appliance Management user interface: Appliance Management has a new user interface, written in HTML5.
• Platform Services Controller: The PSC has a new management interface, written in HTML5.
• Backup and Restore with external PSC: vCenter Server deployments with external PSC, also called MxN have support for backup and restore.
• Installation and Upgrade using HTML 5 installer: The following installation and upgrade scenarios are supported for vCenter Server using HTML 5 installer:
  • Installation using HTML 5 installer and target as vCenter Server is supported
  • Upgrade using HTML 5 installer and target as vCenter Server is not supported
  • Upgrade using command line and target as vCenter Server is supported

Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor and the UCS Director - Security Updates

Cisco has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in its Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor and the UCS Director (formally known as Cloupia Unified Infrastructure Controller). Exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow a remote attacker to gain unauthorized access or cause a denial-of-service condition.

Lessons from a Life of Leadership

When I was 25 years old, the President of the company I had worked for after graduating from college asked me if I wanted to manage what was then a team of five sales reps in the copier business.  I didn’t have a clue as to what I was embarking upon and where it would lead me over the next 30 years.  I had no idea what the future would hold including what I would be expected to learn on my own and what it would mean to manage and lead others. 

Early on, like many new managers, I stumbled more times than I succeeded; however, thanks to a few patient bosses, informal mentors and many talented team members, I discovered how to thrive then flourish as a leader.  The lessons I learned along the way were less about myself and more about those who worked for the organizations I was fortunate to have led. 

I learned the drastic difference between what people need versus what people want.  Everyone needs to eat, sleep, be loved, make a living, etc.  Those are fundamental needs and extend beyond the workplace into our daily lives.

But learning what people want in their work made it clear how I needed to adapt as a leader.  So much is written about “what a leader should do” and “what a leader wants from their employees”, but discovering what your people seek actually provides a clear path to becoming a successful leader.  As leaders, we are at the bottom of the inverted triangle.  It is our job to build an environment that allows people to prosper.

• I want and value a personal connection with my boss
• I want to know what is expected of me and be held accountable (surprise!)
• I want my ideas to be respected and valued regardless of whether or not they are accepted
• I want to work hard (yes, I really do!) and be challenged intellectually
• I want to be trusted to do the right thing
• I want to be rewarded for my accomplishments, and not the hours I work
• I want to be appreciated and respected for my contributions (I do not need public recognition or awards)

A leader can impact each of the aforementioned items.  If we make sound hiring decisions and create an environment built around our team’s wants, then the expectations and financial goals of the organization are typically fulfilled. 

The only “golden rule” of leadership I cultivated overtime was to surround myself with the best people I could, be clear about what I expected, and then allow them to do their jobs with the least possible interference.  The rest of my approach as a leader was shaped by how those people around me wanted to be treated.

I have been extremely fortunate to have worked alongside many great team members in my leadership roles, and together we discovered what motivated people to excel and find satisfaction and happiness in their work.

Tom Kemp

SVP, Key Account Manager at Lee Hecht Harrison