Leadership in Social Media
I’ve always been told that social media is a double edge sword. It can be great to promote and connect, but it also hinders social skills and advocates fraud. With this in mind I entered CMU’s Leadership Institute (LI) LeadChat that they hold every Thursday night over Twitter. What happens is that the LI poses a few questions to the “Twittersphere” and anyone is welcome to answer the question and spark further conversation about it. On this particular day the LI posed five questions:
1.) What qualities do you look for in a mentor?
Every mentor/mentee pair is going to be a bit different and each one needs to find what qualities will make their own bond work. For me, I look for someone that will challenge me to step out of my comfort zone. The whole purpose of a mentor is someone to make you grow as a person, challenge you outlooks, and grow more confident in your views. If my mentor did not make me think twice about what I believe then our bond would be useless. To go hand in hand with challenge, a mentor should also provide a great degree of advice. Since my mentor Becky is older than me and has gone through a whole year of college I know that I can always turn to her with questions and the daily confusion that adjusting to college has provided. She always seems to have some wise words, or could at least point me to someone that would know how to help me. In this process my mentor also challenges me to come to my own conclusion before giving me the advice that I have sought. This again makes me lear, which is what college is all about!!!
2.)What are your expectations of your mentee?
The closer and closer that the Mentee draft gets the more and more excited I become. I know that whoever I choose and/ or end up with (depending on how the draft plays out!) will be a great fit because each one of the incoming freshmen loves leadership. This is the only expectation that I want to set for my mentee because I want to be able to see who he or she grows into without my thoughts clouding my view of them. As long as they love leadership, I will love them! Ultimately, I would love a mentee that I can really bond with over various things like athletics, religion, and something as simple as movie choice. My mindset goinging into next year and a mentee/mentor relationship is: expect nothing and appreciate everything.
3.)What is the difference between a mentor and a role model?
So far, this has proven to be true with my mentor. Never has she tried to force herself be a role model, but instead she always has inspired me to be my own person and be a role model for others. As I reflect on all of the mentors and role models throughout my life I realize that there is a vast difference. I hope that when I soon get a mentee (less than 3 days!) that she/he becomes a role model for the future CMU students and young adults all over the world. It would be my pleasure to be able to stand next to him/her as they need help to become a their own person and someone that others can look up for many years to come. Its a forever repeating process to led a helping hand to anyone that needs it so that they can reach their full potential and offer something greater than just themselves to the world.
4.)What communication tools/tactics work best with a mentor/mentee relationship?
COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATION. That is the key to almost any type of relationship out there, and the Leader Advancement Scholar Mentee/Mentor relationship is no different. The only thing that is different about the communication standard is how often and what type of communication works with each pair. For me, I love face to face conversations and time spent enjoying each others company. I hope that when I get my mentee we’ll be able to have ample amount of time during the week between our busy schedules to see each other. Ultimately, I would love my mentee to be my best friend, someone that I want to spend time with everyday, and someone that I can share everything with. Of course, if my mentor/mentee bond isn’t as close as I want in person I would be more than happy to try different communication tactics such as hanging out in large groups, texting, or even just sitting at the library and doing homework together. Whatever it takes I’ll be there for my mentee!
5.) Who do you look to as a mentor? How have they had an impact on you?
Of course I look up to my true mentor Becky….. but even more so I consider my roommate Meredith Earley as my mentor. We may be the same age and cluelessly wandering through life together, but I know that she has my back. She’d do anything and everything to make my day easier and challenges me to grow every single day, especially in my faith. I love this girl like no other and I know that if I have a crazy passion she will support me until I hit the finish line, no matter how insane the idea sounds. Each day Meredith impacts me with her dreams, goals, and thoughts. She has made me acquire a new outlook on the world and I know that together we can truly make a difference. It may be cheesy to say, but we honestly make a dynamic duo that won’t stop until someone pays attention to what we have to say to the world.
“You can’t change what you refuse to confront.”
~Future Mentor, McKenna Mathis
McKenna Mathis 