A Conversation on Mentorship with Heather Vana
Posted on Feb. 12, 2024 / Subscribe 0
National Mentoring Month has come to a close, but Heather Vana's timeless insights on mentorship will resonate well beyond. Heather, the Senior Communications Director at Avnet, a 2023 ATHENA Award finalist, and the Immediate Past President of PRSA-Phoenix lent her expertise to a Q&A originally published by the Greater Phoenix Chamber. In this discussion, she delves into the transformative power of mentorship in professional growth and success.
How did you first get involved in mentoring, and what motivated you to become a mentor?
I had excellent mentors at the beginning of my career, which was especially essential as I entered the job market during a recession. The guidance and lifelong friendships I gained through those experiences motivated me to help others. Now that I’m approaching 20 years in my field, I get so much energy from helping others navigate similar issues. It helps me reflect on the progress I’ve made in my own career and what elements others might benefit from replicating.
What qualities do you think are most important for a mentor to possess?
For me, mentors are the connective tissue between hard skills. They should provide context and support as mentees grow. So, I feel listening is the most essential skill for a mentor. Especially when you mentor someone in your own organization, it’s easy to have an agenda, even if it is unconscious. But you are not your mentee. They have their own unique experiences. Especially now that the generation gap appears to have widened, this is key. On the other hand, I tell mentees that it is important that they find a mentor they feel comfortable asking seemingly “dumb” questions of—especially in an industry like tech that tends to create its own weird language with every new wave of technology.
How do you approach building a strong and trusting relationship with your mentees?
Expanding on my point about listening, it’s important to share how you relate to your mentees’ current challenges at the appropriate time and frequency. Share your background and your stories, especially examples that relate to what they’re going through. Sometimes, camaraderie is more important than advice. And don’t hesitate to ask your mentees for advice, either. One time, my mentor was struggling with an employee issue so much that I found her on the bathroom floor crying at work. This only affected my vision of her positively; she’s human and has both things she struggles with today and lessons I can learn from. Just because you’re in a position of “authority” as a mentor doesn’t mean you’re not vulnerable.
As a female mentor, have you faced any unique challenges, and how did you overcome them?
I’ve definitely faced situations where people are intimidated by the fact that I am a woman with accomplishments you can learn from. As a genderqueer person, I regularly challenge traditional gender roles just as a course of my existence, and that is difficult for some. For example, a male employee really struggled to take my advice because he felt he had more experience than me in the industry—even though I had worked at our company longer. I had to find the right balance between letting him fail on his own and picking up the pieces myself when his social cues misfired. It was tough!
Can you share a memorable lesson or piece of advice that you’ve learned from your own mentorship experiences?
When I would get worked up about an issue or assignment, one of my first bosses/mentors always told me: “No one is going to die.” In PR/comms, we deal with extremely high-pressure situations and are often the last line of defense in crisis situations (or those we’re planning for). It literally can feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. But it is not, and it’s important for our health as well as our behavior that we ground ourselves in this. It’s something I still repeat to this day when things get tough.
See the full Q&A series honoring National Mentoring Month and the 2023 ATHENA Award finalists originally published by the Greater Phoenix Chamber.
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