The importance of a mentoring mindset

With 23 years working at Deutsche Bank across two continents, Megumi jokes that she stopped counting how many roles she's had at the bank after ten. Currently, she's responsible for non-financial risk management across the APAC region, having returned to Tokyo following a five-year stint working for the bank in London.

Mentoring has a foundational place in Megumi's career. Her success was not guaranteed; she readily admits that she was a touch shy when she started out. Beginning her career in Japan, where at the time women typically worked more in supporting roles, she found it difficult to assert herself. It was a particular mentor in those early years who had a profound impact on her. He saw something in Megumi's capabilities and proactively helped build her confidence and resilience. The support she received stuck with her, and she has since taken on many formal and informal mentoring and coaching roles as a way to recognize the support that she received early on.

Megumi once asked her former mentor how she could repay him for his support and advice over the years: His advice: "If what I've done for you is valuable, do something similar for others."

She notes that the value of mentoring lies beyond merely imparting knowledge and much more in forging new relationships and discovering new perspectives. Each new connection is an opportunity for both parties to learn from each other, working within new parameters and defining new goals. "You need to have the right attitude for mentoring to work. You need an open mind to hear and accept different points of view, which in turn paves the way for learning from others in order to become the best you can be."

For Megumi, successful mentor relationships can be boiled down to two key elements. First, it's all about building mutual respect: "Mentoring works best if you can discover and build a professional relationship based on shared values," she says, "and, in turn, this will set you up to learn more through those interactions—with trust at the centre."

At its best, Megumi believes that the true value of mentoring is helping others to succeed. It's not just about passing on knowledge but aiding someone else in the discovery and development of his or her individual strengths. Watching her mentees go on to achieve great things—whether that's an increased scope of responsibility, taking on leadership roles, or transitioning to a new role, a new team, or a new location—has been inspiring. In fact, it’s been nearly as rewarding, and integral to her personal success.