Latest / The Career Mentor Podcast with Fexingo: Finding Mentors, Sponsors, and Career Advisors / How to Find a Mentor When Your Company Has No Formal Program
Transcript
- Lucas: So you work at a company that doesn't have a formal mentorship program — no assigned buddy, no leadership track with a senior sponsor. Most people in that situation just shrug and accept they'll have to figure things out alone. But that's a mistake, because there is actually a pretty reliable way to build your own mentorship network from scratch. Luna: I've definitely heard that frustration from friends at startups or smaller firms. They say, 'I wish I had a mentor,' but they don't even know where to start. Lucas: Right, and that's exactly what we're going to unpack today. I want to anchor this in a real case — a woman named Priya, who worked as a supply chain analyst at a midsize logistics company in Atlanta. About 350 employees, no formal mentorship program, no HR infrastructure for it. She wanted to move into operations management, but she had no senior advocate internally. Luna: That sounds like a lot of people listening right now. What did she do? Lucas: She built her own program. And she did it in three phases. First, she identified potential mentors without ever sending a cold email. Second, she created natural entry points to start conversations. Third, she structured the relationship so it didn't fizzle out after one coffee chat. Luna: Before we go deeper — I know this is exactly the kind of practical, no-fluff advice our listeners come for. If today's episode helps you think through your own career move or decision, the way we keep this show ad-free is through listener support. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep these episodes coming. Lucas: Yeah, absolutely. We don't have advertisers, so it's listeners like you who make this possible. And we really appreciate it. So back to Priya — her first step was what I call 'the landscape scan.' She listed everyone in the company who held a role she wanted in two to three years. Not just the operations managers, but also project leads, regional directors, even people in adjacent functions like procurement and warehousing. Luna: So she cast a wide net. Did she just stalk their LinkedIn profiles? Lucas: Partly, but more importantly, she looked for patterns. She noticed that three of those people had worked on a cross-functional process improvement project two years earlier. She found that out by searching old company newsletters and meeting notes. That gave her a natural conversation starter: 'I saw you were part of the supply chain optimization team — I'm curious how you approached the inventory challenge.' Luna: That's smart. Instead of 'Will you be my mentor?' it's 'I'm interested in what you did.' Lucas: Exactly. The second phase was about creating entry points. Priya didn't just email people out of the blue. She found opportunities to interact in low-stakes settings. For example, she volunteered for a company-wide sustainability task force because she knew one of her target mentors was leading it. That gave her a reason to work alongside him for three months. Luna: So she used project exposure as a way to build proximity. That's clever — it's not asking for mentorship upfront, it's demonstrating competence first. Lucas: Right. By the time she asked for a 20-minute conversation, he already knew her name and had seen her work. The ask wasn't cold anymore. And when she did ask, she was specific. She said, 'I'm targeting an operations manager role in the next 18 months. Could I get your perspective on the biggest gaps I should close?' Not 'Can you mentor me?' but 'Can you advise on this specific thing?' Luna: That makes it easy for the senior person to say yes. It's a bounded request. And if it goes well, she can ask for another one later. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the third phase — structuring the relationship so it doesn't die after one meeting. Priya set a recurring cadence. She asked if they could check in every six weeks for 15 minutes. And she always came prepared with a specific update or question. She'd say, 'Last time you suggested I work on stakeholder communication. I tried this approach on a recent project — here's what happened. What do you think?' Luna: So she treated it like a professional check-in, not a personal favor. That makes the mentor feel like their time is respected. Lucas: And it worked. Within a year, she had three informal mentors — one who gave her technical advice, one who helped her navigate company politics, and one who eventually became a sponsor. That third person advocated for her when a promotion opportunity opened up. He said, 'Priya's ready for this role' in a meeting where she wasn't in the room. Luna: That's the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, right? A mentor gives advice, a sponsor uses their political capital to open doors. Lucas: Exactly. And you can't get a sponsor without first proving yourself through the mentor relationship. Priya's story shows that you don't need a formal program to create that pipeline. You just need a systematic approach. Luna: What about the people who say, 'I've tried approaching senior leaders and they just ignore my emails'? That happens a lot. Lucas: It does. And the fix is often in the framing. If your email says 'I'd love to pick your brain,' that's a red flag for busy executives. It's vague and suggests you haven't done your homework. Instead, lead with a specific observation or question that shows you've thought about their work. For example: 'I read your recent report on warehouse automation. I'm curious how you think that will affect entry-level supervisor roles.' That's a conversation, not a request for free consulting. Luna: So do your research first. Don't make them do the work of figuring out what you want. Lucas: Right. And if they still don't respond after two attempts, move on. Not everyone is available. But Priya's experience suggests that if you approach 10 people with this method, you'll get at least 2 or 3 positive responses. That's enough to build a network. Luna: What about if a mentor goes silent after a few meetings? That's another common problem. Lucas: Yeah, that happens. And the instinct is to take it personally. But often it's just that the mentor got busy or the relationship lost its structure. Priya had one mentor who stopped replying after three check-ins. She didn't chase him. Instead, she sent a brief, gracious note: 'Thanks for your help so far. I'm going to pause our check-ins for now, but I'll reach out if I have a specific question down the line.' That kept the door open without making it awkward. Luna: That's a good exit strategy. And it leaves a positive impression. Lucas: Exactly. And six months later, that same mentor reached out to her when he was staffing a new project. Because she handled the silence professionally, he remembered her as someone who respected his time. Luna: So the entire approach is about respecting the other person's time and being intentional about the relationship. That's a lot more effective than waiting for HR to launch a formal program. Lucas: Exactly. And I think the key takeaway is that mentorship isn't something that happens to you. It's something you build. If there's no program, you become the program designer. Priya didn't have a title or budget, but she had a plan. And within 18 months, she got the promotion she was targeting. Luna: She also built a reputation as someone who takes initiative. That probably helped as much as the advice itself. Lucas: Absolutely. So if you're listening and you're at a company with no formal program, start with the landscape scan. Identify the people whose careers you want to emulate. Find a low-stakes way to interact. Then make a specific ask and structure a recurring check-in. You might be surprised how many senior people are willing to help — if you make it easy for them. Luna: And if you want more deep dives like this, you know where to find us. Thanks for listening.