Date Added: 07.04.20

Future Leaders mentee, Joanna Watts, an Account Manager at Sigma Financial Group opted to spend a day shadowing her mentor, Lizzie Hieron, Managing Director of Social Energy to gain a better understanding of what being an MD actually entails. So naturally, as sponsors of Future Leaders, we wanted to hear all about it.

Joanna has been a mentee with Future Leaders for a year now, she initially joined the programme to broaden her industry knowledge while helping to build her credibility with energy sector clients. Over the last 12 months both Joanna and Lizzie have gotten really close, with Lizzie being able to give back by offering her unique perspective on how to get exec buy in among other things.

Shadowing is something that the Future Leaders Utilities Mentoring Network keenly encourages in its mentoring relationships. It can be difficult to know what the day to day really looks like in senior leadership roles, so getting to spend time in your mentor’s shoes can help you picture what’s actually involved where being an MD is concerned.

We got chatting to Joanna to find out how her day in the life of a Managing Director went, what she learned and whether she can see herself following in the same direction someday.

Hi Joanna, so how did you end up shadowing Lizzie for the day?

It was my idea actually! I just approached my mentor, Lizzie, and asked if it would be alright to spend the day shadowing her. She was really receptive to the idea and invited me over to spend the day together at Social Energy. I just really wanted to gain a better understanding of the challenges that an MD faces and most importantly, how she deals with them at her level.

What were some of those challenges?

I think realising just how precious Lizzie’s time is has been the standout thing for me. She’s in demand all the time and gets really hands on across the entire business, which leaves very little room for error or downtime. Her ability to multitask and be exceptionally organised has proven to me that you have to be a certain type of person to do this job well.

What did you enjoy the most out of the experience?

Although I said this was a challenging aspect of the role, I also thought it was fantastic how hands on Lizzie was as an MD. I had expected that she would spend most of the day in her own office but she was actually predominantly out on the floor engaging with the entire team, which I really liked.

Even with so much going on, Lizzie still managed to take the time out to help me with my presentations for work and even showed me how to get the best out of my energy plan!

Was there anything that surprised you about being an MD?

The fact that she knew everybody personally and seemed to properly understand the unique challenges they faced within their teams and what needed to be done to help. The close working relationship she had with the business just took me aback and tested my assumptions about what an MD does.

Additionally, the range of tasks that Lizzie was involved in was pretty vast – which is something I didn’t expect. Whether it was preparing high level figures for the rest of the senior team or working with the projects team to identify their business values, all the way through to being involved in the launch of their new app – there wasn’t one part of the business that Lizzie didn’t touch.

Can you see yourself taking on the role of MD someday?

Perhaps, if the opportunity was right! It’s all about finding balance though, it was great to hear about Lizzie’s journey and how she got to where she is today. It really gave me a confidence boost to see a successful woman in senior leadership, it’s made me feel like it’s within my reach if I want it.

It seems like you and Lizzie have a great mentoring relationship, can you tell us more about it?

We’ve been mentor and mentee for a year now, and it’s been so valuable to have that unique MD perspective on things. Initially I found it hard to find the time to dedicate to mentoring, but Lizzie made me realise that I needed to put myself first and properly invest in my development so I can give my best at work.

In our first ever discussion we outlined how we wanted the relationship to work and from the off she was really reassuring and advised me that I could reach out any time for support.

How has having a mentor like Lizzie enhanced your career?

She made me realise that all people in high pressure roles have their own fears to overcome and will have faced the very same challenges as me at some point. Lizzie has shown me how to beat some of those fears which has in turn boosted my confidence in the workplace.

She’s also taught me a thing or two on how to conduct myself in a masculine environment and hold my own a bit more. Things like learning to manage upwards and take control of a room have made a huge difference to pushing past personal boundaries that were ultimately just holding me back.

Lizzie is an amazing influence on me, she’s super helpful and I really do aspire to be like her someday.

What advice would you give to anyone looking for join Future Leaders as a mentee?

Grab the opportunity with both hands because it honestly is a fantastic experience. Understand that you need to take the time to invest in yourself and your personal growth, it is important and it does deserve your attention.

Also just absorb as much information as you can from your mentor, whether it’s anecdotes from their own career or guidance on how tackle yours. Lizzie’s an excellent sounding board for me to gain reassurance that I’m doing a good job, we all need that from time to time!

If you’re interested in joining The Future Leaders Utilities Mentoring Network as a mentee or a mentor, you can find out all about it over on our web page. Or if you’d like to stay up to date with the latest energy, utilities and mentoring news – you can follow us on LinkedIn.