Let’s Talk About Mentors
Continuing our series on mentorship with a chat with Lazina Mckenzie, Manager of ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service (TIVMS) hosted by the University of Alberta. TIVMS is a group mentorship program that has been developed to support, inspire and empower entrepreneurs.
Lazina herself was an entrepreneur for many years and was in the TIVMS program from 2015-2016. And then in 2018, her predecessor asked Lazina to step in and take over as the manager of the program, which she did in 2019. Lazina is a community builder, an innovator, a builder, a collaborator, and a strategist. Such a fantastic conversation with Lazina about TIVMS, capitalizing the M in Mentor, and what makes a good mentor/mentee relationship.
AA: Lazina, thank you so much for sitting down with me today! Let’s jump right in - tell me all about ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service.
LM: Hey Amanda! Ok, let’s do it. So TIVMS is a MIT-based mentorship program, one of 100+ sister VMS programs around the world, and is a group mentorship model that focuses on growing the person, the entrepreneur. We’re affiliated with the University of Alberta, and excitingly, for the first time in our history, we are now accepting applications for mentees from all across Edmonton. This aligns to our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work of removing barriers for entrepreneurs to enter the program. We do know that many entrepreneurs who need help didn’t necessarily go to the U of A; we are now about to help them just like everyone else who applies to this prestigious program. It’s an exciting time for us and for entrepreneurs who want help.
Our program is all about the development, support, guidance and empowerment of entrepreneurs. We pair our entrepreneurs with a team of experienced Mentors, who are volunteering their time, talent and knowledge, to help entrepreneurs grow personally and professionally.
At the end of the day, the purpose of TIVMS is simple - it’s to grow entrepreneurial minds. We feel that an entrepreneurial mind is unique - it’s a mind that challenges the status quo, a mind that isn’t afraid to ask questions, and find better ways to solve problems. Most importantly, it’s a mind that is open to feedback and open to change.
AA: Love it. Such a cool program. Ok, let’s talk about the capitalization of “M” in mentor. Why is that important and done in TIVMS?
LM: Because the word “Mentor” is a noun - it’s someone’s name. It goes back to Greek mythology, and was the name of the adviser of the young Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey. So we capitalize it and use it as a noun. We firmly believe that the word Mentor is a gift. It is gifted to someone who has the role in your life of supporting and guiding you.
We feel quite fortunate that our Mentors are seasoned business leaders in our community, who volunteer their time and energy and knowledge to help mentees grow and learn..
AA: And what makes someone a good Mentor for the TIVMS program?
LM: I think, at the core, it’s about helping people, no matter what stage they’re in their learning and development. TIVMS Mentors can use a variety of tools they can use to have a conversation with their mentee; coaching, advising, experience-sharing are some of them, all with the main goal of helping that entrepreneur. Our program is very focused on the individual. We help our mentees through problems or issues that they have in any stage of their business.
Our philosophy is that our Mentors don’t have the answers. Basically, if we think of it like entrepreneurship as a journey, the entrepreneur is driving the bus, and the Mentors are on the bus. They’re passengers who are helping the driver. The thing that makes them a good Mentor is that they help you dig deeper, give you perspectives, but at the end of the day, it’s the entrepreneur who knows their business best. Mentors are there to help guide and support that journey which, all entrepreneurs know, can be quite lonely.
And it’s important that a good Mentor knows which gear to move into. Should they be coaching? Should they be asking insightful questions and digging into the problem and helping you gain clarity? Or should they be advising you? Or should they be sharing what they’ve personally gone through so you can take the nuggets of wisdom from their experiences and apply them to your problems?
And with TIVMS, we prioritize having Mentors who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the table. These are all important things that make someone an effective and successful Mentor. TIVMS Mentors have very diverse professional backgrounds, everything from finance, legal, marketing, sales, operations, tech, and more. This is important when bringing together a group of Mentors to support an entrepreneur - different viewpoints on a specific challenge brings greater innovative thinking to the table.
This isn’t an end goal but I’m proud to say that our Mentor pool is getting close to gender parity. It’s one intersection of EDI; we have a focus on integrating more EDI best practices into what we offer so that innovation can be front and center.
AA: I love your breakdown of the different gears that a Mentor goes through, to help the Mentee. Very cool. And how does the program choose which entrepreneurs you’ll work with?
LM: We have a very rigorous application process for both our Mentors and the entrepreneurs. Our program and the experience that we offer is unique, and it takes time to find the right people who not only want to be part of it but will also be successful once they are part of the TIVMS community.
Essentially, we are looking for people who have that TIVMS DNA. People who have the TIVMS DNA are:
Curious and life-long learners
Driven and ambitious
Leaders who have high EQ
Leaders who genuinely want to help others
Fine with asking for help
Coachable
Leaders who understand that they don’t have all the answers
Humble
AA: Very cool! I love that you’ve broken it down into those components of the TIVMS DNA. And in your opinion, having been in the program and now running the program, what makes a relationship between the mentee and Mentors work?
LM: Having high psychological safety. With the right people at the table, everyone has the ability to share, learn, grow, ask questions; it’s a great give and take for both Mentors and the mentee.
This goes back to my previous comment on the TIVMS DNA. Having Mentors who are able to say “I don’t know if I have what it takes to help this person” or “I think I’ve helped all I’m able to” is important. We have so many people with such deep and diverse skills that we can put different Mentors around the mentee to meet them where they are at with their entrepreneurial journey.
AA: I love what you said about mutual vulnerability. That is so key to pushing a mentorship relationship forward. Ok, last question! Why do you think it’s important for people to be Mentors?
LM: Our Mentors participate in TIVMS because they see huge value in the program.
This goes back to the comment on give and take.
Mentors often say that they feel they are getting so much more from their TIVMS experience than they are giving. We don’t find this to be true. Yes, they get to continue learning and growing through meeting new people. Our Mentors are extremely seasoned business leaders who definitely give as much as they can to building solid relationships with their mentees so that the mentee can be supported as they walk the lonely entrepreneurial journey. It’s a give and receive relationship.
AA: This has been SUCH a great conversation, Lazina. I’m not an entrepreneur and I want to go and become one so I can apply to this program! (laughs). Such a fantastic program and opportunity for both Mentors and Mentees. Thanks for sitting down with me and chatting today!
LM: I had a great time too! Thanks Amanda.