Axios Finish Line: How to be a master mentee
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
When I was trying to recruit her away from The Washington Post to run client partnerships for Axios, Jacquelyn Cameron had a blunt request. She wanted me to teach her to be a CEO.
Why it matters: Jacquelyn's direct ask — Hey, help me do your job! — launched some of the most productive monthly mentoring sessions of my life.
- We meet at least once a month — often over Zoom, sometimes in person. We waste little time with small talk, other than gossip about media competitors. We dig deep into the engineering of Axios and media operations.
The success of these sessions got me thinking about the other lens of mentoring: What makes a great mentee?
- To be blunt, it's not simply wanting a "connection" or a closer relationship with someone with power or success. It's not checking the box of merely seeking mentorship or advice, either.
Think of it in terms of working out. Just going to the gym is useless. Going to the gym and half-assing it is useless, too. But if you go to the gym, know your goals and work your tail off to achieve them, it's magically transformative.
- Let's use Jacquelyn as a template for being a Master Mentee:
- Hunger. Jacquelyn had a remarkable career before taking this gig, shining at The New York Times, Politico and The Post. But she was adamant during our recruitment process about wanting to be smarter, better and even more successful. She takes a long view of her career arc.
- Purpose. She knows what she wants: to be CEO one day. Love the confidence. Love the specific purpose more. It is so much easier to mentor someone when you cut the B.S. and just admit your ambition. Then, as a mentor, you know with precision how to help and steer discussions.
- Self-awareness. A lot of people who aspire to bigger jobs think they're ready now. She doesn't. Jacquelyn knows her strengths are sales leadership, talent-spotting and relentless effort. She comes to every session armed with very specific questions beyond her daily duties and current core strengths.
- Self-confidence. She craves direct feedback about areas of weakness. This is where most mentees fail. They say they want blunt, even brutally honest, feedback — only to turn defensive or deflated when it's given. Jacquelyn lights up — and soaks it in.
- Action. I'm ruthless with my time. Deep down, most mentors want to see a real return on their time investment. Jacquelyn scribbles notes, works concepts into her rap with her direct reports, and puts new ideas into practice. She often comes back to previous conversations for more specifics, more direction. That's a great ROI to me.
The big picture... To mentees: Never underestimate the power of learning things you struggle with — or aspire to one day master.
- To mentors, never underestimate the good you do for the other person — and for yourself and the organization.
"Honest mentorship also begets a stronger, smarter, more loyal team of talent," Jacquelyn told me when I asked her for permission to write this.
- We all need mentors, regardless of our position or vintage. It might be one person, or a constellation of people, who do things well that you wish you did better.
This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.
