Mentorship at The Humphrey Group: Growing Leaders from Within

Whether leading sales teams at telecommunications firms, delivering proposals to executives or managing strategic partnerships, mentorship has been a constant force throughout my career.

I started on the receiving end, as a mentee fortunate to have senior leaders who took an interest, offered counsel, opened doors, and challenged my thinking. Some even became sponsors who advocated for me at the table when decisions were made, but all those relationships changed my career trajectory.

Over time, I found myself on the other side of the table. Stepping into the role of mentor, I discovered the same spark from a different angle: the moment when someone recognizes their own potential and begins to lead from it.

Today at The Humphrey Group, I serve in a role that blends two passions: I mentor team members across the business and I advise our leadership team. The mentoring program is voluntary, people raise their hands because they want to accelerate their growth, and it’s endured for years because it’s embedded in our culture of continuous learning.

In this piece, I want to share a few reflections about what makes mentorship meaningful, what it looks like to champion others in a way that lifts up the whole organization, and why it’s never just about one person.

Work and Life Are Not Separate

People often put the concept of leadership in a box, like it’s a set of skills to turn on at work and shut off at the end of the day. But in my experience, the way you show up at work is directly shaped by how you live your life.

That’s why mentorship is never just about job performance. It’s about helping someone build alignment between who they are and how they are showing up. When there’s misalignment, like when someone is struggling personally or feels disconnected from their values, it presents in their communication, confidence and ultimately, their leadership.

At The Humphrey Group, we teach that great communication starts before you ever speak. You must first clarify your thinking, which means getting to the core of what you believe. That clarity doesn’t come from thin air. It comes from self-awareness and a willingness to be introspective.

I often find myself helping people refine not just their message but to reconnect with their larger purpose, which inevitably overlaps with their personal life.

Mentorship is Not Transactional. It’s Relational.

Too often I’ve observed mentorship be treated like a task on a to-do list. A formal meeting scheduled once a quarter, a few pieces of advice, and a handshake. But the most meaningful mentorship experiences I’ve had, on both sides of the relationship, have been nothing like that.

As a mentor, the first thing I establish is a confidential partnership based on a mutual desire to build trust. The best mentorship relationships grow organically and aren’t built around an idea of what have you done for me lately.

Instead, they’re about creating the clarity we can’t always find on our own. Real mentorship creates a safe space where there is room to have honest conversations. Feedback becomes a gift, not a threat, when trust is present.

Key to this is that there is no set agenda or fixed endpoint. In fact, my mentee sets the agenda; I’m there to bring experience, perspective, and to surface questions that may arise from that direction.

When mentorship is rooted in trust and care, it’s not just about moving someone to their next career step. The relationship becomes about helping an individual grow into their fullest potential.

Yes, being a champion — advocating for a promotion or making a strategic introduction — is often a part of it. But the main goal isn’t just to open doors, it’s to help build a mentee’s readiness to walk through those doors with confidence and clarity when the moment comes.

Alignment Beats Ambition

I want a promotion is a goal, but it’s not a plan. I like to start with answering the question of why and then get practical: Is that opportunity on the near-term horizon? What skills and results would make you a credible candidate? Is your manager aligned and supportive?

A big part of my role is noticing strengths, skills, and potential that someone might not yet recognize in themselves. When I spot potential, I help them build the confidence and competence to rise to it. That can mean encouraging them when they doubt themselves, but it can also mean challenging them to push further than they think they can.

One of my favourite mentoring moments was helping a talented colleague see herself beyond the lane she’d always been in. I recognized transferable strengths, encouraged her to explore a different part of the business, and coordinated alignment with her manager. She took the leap, earned the role, and thrived.

Like coaching, mentorship isn’t about providing someone with canned or prescriptive answers, but sometimes people can’t yet see their potential growth path. I like to create space for better questions, the kind that lead to deeper self-awareness, stronger decision-making, and more intentional action.

I also meet people where they are. That means adapting my approach to their unique personality, context, and goals, rather than expecting them to fit a certain mould. From there, I can help them find the next step forward, however small. Over time, those steps add up to meaningful growth for the individual and for the organization as a whole.

Mentorship at The Humphrey Group

At The Humphrey Group, we believe that leadership begins with communication and that every conversation is an opportunity to show up as a leader. That belief shapes the way I mentor. Even an informal chat can influence someone’s confidence, shape their sense of direction, or spark new possibilities.

One of the most important principles I bring into mentorship is being audience-centred. Like any leadership opportunity, mentorship is about connecting with and reading your audience, so that you may ultimately inspire them to achieve their potential. A mentor must start with an understanding of the individual they’re guiding so that they can provide meaningful guidance.

This then ties into the importance of speaking from a place of conviction. It’s critical to ground my guidance in what I truly believe about that person’s potential. When you speak from a place of genuine belief, the other person can feel it, and that’s really what inspires them to act.

And finally, I hold to the idea that how you show up matters as much as what you say. Mentorship isn’t just about sharing insights; it’s about modelling presence, respect, and authenticity. In this way, the mentor’s example becomes just as instructive as their advice.

Ultimately, mentorship at The Humphrey Group goes beyond developing individual capability. When our employees grow in clarity, confidence, and connection, they pass that on to the leaders they work with, and those leaders, in turn, shape their own teams and organizations. That’s the power of mentoring that all organizations can unlock.