The Importance of Mentorship

When I first began my relationship with Zealand Pharma, I could see instantly that this organization had a passion for not only helping patients, but also an ambition to continuously strive for an excellent employee experience. We empower our employees to practice bold thinking and act as leaders. Today, I sit on the Corporate Management team as the Vice President, Global Head of People & Organization. As a leader, I aim to use my experience to develop and grow other women within the organization.

Throughout my career, I have seen firsthand how powerful and beneficial a mentorship can be for both mentor and mentee. It is important to me to stay connected to others by providing support through mentorship, and the value of having a network of advisement outside of direct reporting relationships is paramount for a mentee.

Today, I have the exciting and rewarding opportunity to mentor two women at Zealand. We are beginning to meet regularly for formal sessions, and, more importantly, I want to ensure that I am available if there is ever a specific challenge that arises. In my view, one of the most important aspects of being a mentor is being accessible to your mentees – even when you’re busy. Mentoring is a commitment and making time to consistently honor that commitment is of the utmost importance.

I have been a mentor throughout my career, and when meeting with one of my mentees, I find myself energized and motivated by the dialogue we have together. I begin by spending time actively listening to my mentee, discovering what she would like to discuss. We work through our topics with thought partnership – exercising creativity and problem solving on various challenges. As a mentor, I believe that providing support, guidance, and reassurance is more valuable to a mentee than simply solving problems for them. Creating strategies together allows mentees to discover the best solutions to their challenges, empowering them to grow.

At Zealand Pharma, we believe that all employees should have an equal opportunity to succeed, and I take great pride in contributing to the development of our teammates. Knowing that I will be able to provide support to someone with coaching or guidance is an incredibly rewarding feeling – but the most rewarding of all is following my mentees to see their experience grow and watch them develop.