Everyone will tell you that mentorship is vitally important to career growth. This is especially true among operations folks who work at beauty brands. These are fast-paced environments, subject to rapid scale, explosive virality and countless “how the blank are we going to do this?!?!” moments. These are also environments where tastes and trends change instantly and things can go south even faster.
From a career perspective, mentorship is a crucial piece of navigating all of that and ascending to the next level… and the next… and the – you get the idea.
But mentorship is one of those things that doesn’t have a clear roadmap. In the overwhelming majority of companies, there’s no checklist. You don’t fill out an HR form that says, “Check here to be mentored,” “Check here to offer mentoring.” (Do some companies have formal mentor programs? Yes. But they’re few and far between.)
The reality is that mentoring happens organically. So how do you get good at seeking it out?
Nick Bracken has Thoughts
Currently the SVP of operations at Jake Paul’s W, over the last 10 years, Nick has worked with a number high-growth and prominent prestige beauty brands.
Nick has scaled job titles from business operations analyst to director of ops to VP of ops to COO. He even did a stint as an industry consultant.
All of this growth has happened in a little more than 10 years.
“Luck has played a big part,” says the guy who can pluck OPEX numbers off the top of his head. “Early in my career, I was a sponge. If I was invited as ‘optional’ on a meeting invite, I accepted and attended. I always had questions. I was always curious. Like Ted Lasso. It’s not just about acquiring knowledge though. It’s also about signaling to the people you’re engaging with. When you ask the VP of marketing how they came to a particular campaign strategy, they notice. The CFO notices when you ask them about financial forecasts.”
Seeking mentorship takes a shift in mindset. As mentioned, it’s not about raising your hand and declaring your intent. It’s understanding that mentorship is often a byproduct of your habits and actions.
What Kind of Habits?
Here are a few of Nick’s tips for mentor seekers.
Absorb Everything. Like Nick says, soak up as much about the business as you can. Figure out ways to participate in conversations and meetings that are outside of your lane. Then shoot follow-up notes to the people you crossed paths with: “Appreciate hearing how you thought about X. Let me know if you’re up for grabbing lunch sometime soon. I have more questions.”
Step Up. One commonality amongst young beauty brands (or most young ecommerce brands, for that matter) is that there are always gaps – especially in the early days. Jump in. You may not know exactly how to fill a given gap, but in a good environment, your willingness to learn for the good of the business usually doesn’t go unnoticed.
Clear Plates. Similar to stepping up, taking tasks off of the to-do lists of your higher-ups can help kickstart mentoring organically. Hey, I’m happy to knock this out for you. Any dos and don’ts you need me to know?
Learn How to Build Relationships. That’s really what mentoring is: relationships. Anticipate what team members need. Practice empathy. Be accountable. Be reliable. Develop your EQ (emotional intelligence). Learn how to make people laugh every now and then. Ask people about their lives, what they did this past weekend. Find commonalities (there’s always at least one). Perhaps most importantly, though: deliver for people. Consistently come through for them.
These are the kinds of habits that open up mentor doors. But again, nothing happens overnight.
“It’s a long game,” Nick says. “You don’t pursue mentorship expecting any sort of immediate achievement or result. You’re doing all these things, consistently over time, and essentially making the bet that a couple of the relationships you’re investing in turn into something more.”
Initial Efforts can Feel Intimidating
“It takes a little bit of ambition and courage to initiate conversation with someone who’s been in the industry for however many years and presumably values their time. But as with so many things that come with working in this industry, it gets easier every time.”
“You need to be able to identify not only who has a ton of knowledge and experience but is also willing to put in the time to mentor. Most people would say they want to be a mentor but it requires time and patience. It’s a commitment. You want to seek out people who are approachable who you know won’t make you feel like crap when they guide you on how to do something differently. There’s a big difference between ‘So here’s how I would think about it…’ and ‘That’s not right. Here’s how you should’ve done it…’”
Why do all This? Why Prioritize Mentorship?
“The most obvious answer is career growth,” says Nick. “Promotions. Responsibility. Comp. Investing in being mentored plays a big part in that. If two people with the same qualifications and same achievements are up to move from a manager role to a VP role and person A has built a strong mentorship with one of the decision makers, they’ve got an advantage.”
“But I’ll say this too: your mentor? Someone undoubtedly mentored them. You’re going to mentor someone too. I’m a big believer in paying that sort of thing forward. In an industry where people move around perhaps faster and more frequently than others, developing mentor relationships almost always results in new opportunities.”
Beneficial to the nth Degree
Whether you’re only a couple of years into your consumer brand ops career or have decades of experience, investing in mentorship (either seeking or providing) has far reaching benefits that go well beyond you, as an individual. It helps people. It helps the entire ecosystem.
The simplest way to get started?
“You just have to make the effort,” says Nick. “Reach out. Ask for a few minutes to talk about something specific. See where it goes.”