Mentors play a unique role in the startup-building ecosystem. As individuals who have been down the path before, you possess critical insights that can help new founders navigate choppy waters, avoid obvious (to you) pitfalls, and help accelerate their businesses.
Framework curated by Meghann Coleman, Director at MindFrame Connect
CarbonCure Technologies is a cleantech company with a bold ambition of removing 500 million metric tons of CO2 from the earth’s atmosphere by 2030. This is made possible by their innovative technology that sees the mineralizing of carbon dioxide – turning recycled CO2 into fresh concrete to reduce its carbon footprint without compromising performance. This technology has caught the eye of major companies and investors such as Mitsubishi, Amazon, and the Bill Gates Foundation.
For a company driving hyper-growth and innovation, effective internal leadership and mentorship structure is paramount to success. Diane Praught, Director of Customer Operations of Carbon Cure Technologies shares her insights on how you build a culture of mentorship in a growing start-up.
Leading in a remote workplace
Over the last two years, many leaders have been tasked with managing teams remotely. According to Praught, a leader must overcome the inherent inefficiencies that remote work brings by working extra hard to build rapport with staff; spending more time getting to know them and their interests outside of work. The goal is to build trust, which is critical to an effective mentor/mentee relationship.
Significant team growth requires employee mentorship
Leaders need to invest in mentoring their employees and supporting their personal growth; this is especially true when leading a rapidly growing team. A leader wants to ensure that their employees are motivated by their job and see the company’s success as theirs as well.
Value straight talk
At CarbonCure, straight talk is an important and practiced value. Providing clear, kind, and honest feedback is critical to supporting the growth of employees. Following feedback, a leader should listen to their employees and follow-up to ensure they have the tools required to take appropriate actions to move forward. Leaders should also be comfortable with receiving feedback themselves and create a safe space for employees to do so.
Lead with vulnerability
Show vulnerability and share your own experiences with failure. Building an innovative culture requires room for making mistakes; demonstrating to employees that a mistake doesn’t mean their bad at their jobs. In fact, a mistake is an opportunity to learn. A good leader understands that their success is tied to their mentees’ success.
Communicate your north star
A key aspect of good leadership is to continually focus on core values – a leader needs to live and breathe them (and a team needs to speak the same language regarding them). Praught recommends that top leadership clearly communicate the company’s north star and ensure each team member knows how their role aligns to that goal. A leader wants to ensure that everyone understands how they contribute to the overall mission.
CarbonCure is catching global attention with their innovative approach to tackling climate change – an impressive feat made possible by strong leadership and a motivated team. As demonstrated by Praught, a good leader is humble, empathetic, and focused on bringing the best out of everyone on their team. It’s clear that the secret to their success is in the culture they’ve created – one that will serve them well as they continue to focus on radically reducing the earth’s carbon footprint.
Want incredible results from your mentorship program? Then download our comprehensive list of best practices.
We draw these best practices from the first-hand experience of program managers like you and our own expertise. This white paper is a comprehensive guide that will be your roadmap to building a world-class mentoring program.
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