Participating in the Pension Management Institute’s Mentoring and Development Programme is proving to be an interesting and enlightening experience, giving me a great opportunity to learn new skills, increase my confidence and be partnered with an experienced mentor.

When I saw the advertisement for the programme, I had only recently returned to work following maternity leave. A couple of months into my leave, the world was impacted by COVID-19 and it became clear that we would all need to adopt new ways of working. This had made me consider what elements of my current role I really enjoyed and where I wanted to go next. I have been with my employer for my entire career and have taken advantage of their support in studying for qualifications, having completed the PMI’s Advanced Diploma.

However, I felt I lacked direction in driving my own development. Eager to continue to progress, the programme is offering me an opportunity to develop my own management and leadership skills.

Starting the programme in March 2021, the continuing restrictions of the pandemic have meant that, to date, it has not seemed sensible to meet with my mentor face-to-face. To be honest, I don’t feel that this has affected my experience in the least. By the time that we started our mentoring sessions, working virtually had become second nature and not needing to travel has made it easier to fit sessions into my working life. Having said this, I would still aim to meet in real life at least once before the programme ends.

One of the most valuable aspects of being partnered with a mentor is being able to hear about their experiences, and how they have dealt with change and challenges in their own career. Having time set aside to concentrate on my own development has also been great, as having support from outside of my employer has allowed me to be more honest about my own strengths and weaknesses. My mentor has been able to draw out aspects of my personality which clearly have a strong bearing on my work ethic and management approach. This has made me challenge my own perceptions of what I am capable of, encouraging me to be more confident in my own abilities.

The structure of the Institute of Leadership and Management’s MyLeadership programme is split into 49 components which are spread across 5 dimensions of leadership. Each component is presented as a bite-size standalone unit which can be studied in a single study session, with the assessment giving instant feedback and confirmation that that component has been recorded as complete.