Help Wanted
A guiding principle of my work has always been to look for the win/win.
At Full Sail that looks like finding the sweet spot of what’s best for the students, the faculty, and the university.
As a consultant it means engaging with individuals and organizations whose values align with my own, so that any work we do together helps propel us forward with our respective missions.
In launching Make Sense Media, I know I need help. I’ve been a solopreneur for over 15 years, so I am used to wearing the many hats of a business owner. But as we move into Q4 this year, I am taking off my operations hat and putting on a strategic one.
Initially I thought about bringing on an intern. Lord knows I am surrounded by talent!
Yet the traditional model for an internship is so transactional. You give me free labor and I’ll give you recommendation you need to level up.
A mentee/mentor model, on the other hand, is more relational and inquiry-based. When done right, the conversation is driven by the questions of the mentee, not the agenda of the mentor.
But since I am trying to launch a business here… some of these to-DOs need to get to-DONE.
I’ve come to the conclusion that what I need is a mentern. Someone with buy-in of mentee and the task-orientation of an intern. I need someone who sees the potential in the opportunity and the relationship and is willing to co-create the experience through open dialog. What’s most important to me is to know what’s most important to my mentern, so I can intentionally look for the overlap of what’s most important to us both - You know, that win/win I was talking about!
“Mentern” is not a new term… as in, I didn’t make it up. I am, however, riffing on the idea and so excited to announce that my student, MCBS rock star, Sarah Babbage @sarahbabbag has agreed to jam with me.
Sarah is writer, so we’ll be looking for ways for her to evolve her skillset as she meaningfully contributes to the growth and development of Make Sense Media. I will be sharing more about Sarah and our work together here… so stay tuned!
