I made it through working on that horrific project today. It was made slightly better by having Cari shadow me on it. I am not exactly sure why... but I thought maybe she might have been there to take over for me and no one would tell me. Because that is how things work on this project... seriously. I never really got that impression, but at least we got some good chat time in.
I chatted with Cari and Vanessa about this. I am really struggling with the selection of a mentor for my Scientist and Engineering Development Program. It is a formal mentorship, where the mentor actually attends a training/expectations class and we set up a schedule and the whole works. I am having an enormously difficult time deciding who should be my mentor. So here I am going to hammer out my options as I see them.
1. Dan. He is a very young (2 years older than me) rising star in another section of the lab. He has offered me good advice in the past. He has kids and his wife works, so he understands the challenges of working families. We work on a project together and so he has an idea of how I operate and I think could give me good advice. Drawbacks - he is young, not much life experience, he is likely to be asked to be a mentor by MANY people in the program I think.
2. Dave. He is in his early 40's, transplant from an Idaho Lab and recently promoted to a 5. Rising star most definitely. Fun to be around, he is in my group, I know him, he would love to be a mentor I think. He has 2 boys, wife is a SAHM. Drawbacks - he knows a lot of the people I work with quite well and I worry I might be hesitant to talk to him frankly, even though they have to agree to confidentiality, I don't necessarily want all my struggles getting around.
3. Clem. An older chemist, nearing retirement who looks like Sean Connery, lol. I get along great with Clem and he has been very helpful to me recently in outlining my teleconference presentations, what to present, how to present it and what to say. How to handle an obnoxious client when he jumps down my throat. He is in a different group. Drawbacks - we just come from different places. He would probably balk at an "official" role and not like the "process".
4. Tom. My former team lead. He knows me alright, is familiar with the SEDP program and knows from a manegerial point of view, where I should be going. But now he isn't management anymore. Drawbacks, older single man, no family, no kids, he has no idea where I am coming from.
5. Mary. She has pretty much dropped off my list after talking with Cari. I really wanted a woman with at least one child as a mentor. I just can't seem to find that.
6. Karen. I barely know her, just joined a project she runs. But she is going to be a team lead in my new group. I can't have management. Even though she won't be *my* team lead, I don't want management knowing all my secrets, lol.
7. Barb. Vanessa suggested her and I shunned it at the time. I don't know her, like at all. But Cari reinforced that it might be best to go with someone like that. She has kids.
You can note that pain in the ASS project manager, post-doc "advisor" is NOT listed. Neither is Justin, who has served as an informal mentor for me for quite awhile. But phasing off of his projects and all, I don't think he is thrilled about that and doesn't really understand where I am coming from.
You know I do have one other option...
8. Phil. Or for that part, the other Mary. They are both TGMs, but not MY TGM. Phil knows a lot of background. Oh wait, forget it, I can't divulge any info because I still work significantly on projects within his group.
Who to pick, who to pick? My gut tells me Dave... I will sleep on it again tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment