Building on mentorship pilot’s success to continue meeting a need in AMA chapter

Authors: Aimee Jud & Suzanne Buzek

 Name a more iconic duo:

  • Socrates and Plato
  • Tom and Jerry
  • Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart
  • Sam and Dean Winchester

… The list goes on. Some are friends. Some are contemporaries. Some are teachers and students. But most of all, these duos support and challenge each other to grow and expand their mindset.

AMA Cincinnati piloted a mentorship program last year as a way for marketing professionals in any stage of their career to meaningfully connect and thrive. We are happy to say it was a success and we are bringing it back for the 2023-24 chapter year!

Last chapter year, the mentorship program was successful, with 12 mentor-mentee pairs. During the 2023-2024 chapter year, AMA Cincinnati would like to continue this success and guide 12-15 mentor-mentee pairs to reach their relationship goals.

In the book, Mentorship Matters, author and founding Advisory Board member of AMA Toronto’s mentorship program Alan C. Middleton, PhD, writes that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated changes in management style, “which means mentoring is an even more critical management process for both mentors and mentees.”

AMA Cincinnati’s mentorship program is meant to provide both the formal structure and the mechanisms for informal connection that help relationships organically grow. Formal structure includes education opportunities, cohort check-ins and more. From there, it’s up to the mentor and mentee to keep up their relationship independent of the larger cohort in between group events.

As for who can join, the application/interest form for mentees/mentors is open to all AMA members, regardless of where they are in their career. To paraphrase Sheryl Sandberg, one’s career is more like a jungle gym than a ladder. All roles and levels of experiences are welcome to apply, and the mentorship committee will do their best to match based on something complementary or intriguing that brings a mentor/mentee pair together.

So name a more iconic duo: You and mentor/mentee?

We are securing our mentors and mentees throughout the month of September, and the program will start in October 2023, ending in May 2024. If you’d like to be considered for either role, please complete the application that best suits your experience and needs.

Mentorship Program Information and Applications