You probably think you can smash the glass ceiling all by yourself, right? Just lace up your metaphorical combat boots, grab a hammer, and start swinging. Bold move. Except, spoiler alert: without mentorship, you’re just smashing your forehead against reinforced corporate glass while upper management sips lattes and pretends they can’t hear you.
Mentorship is the secret elevator that gets you past the floors you’d otherwise be stuck cleaning. Let’s walk (or stumble) through the stages of how mentorship transforms you from “that ambitious newbie” into someone who finally makes HR send out a congratulatory email about your promotion.
The “I Can Do It Alone” Phase
This is where you march into the workplace like Katniss Everdeen with a résumé instead of a bow and arrow. You assume talent, grit, and caffeine are enough. Bad news: talent is just the entry ticket, grit makes you tired, and caffeine makes you shake during presentations.
