Longtime member of WICT SoCal and featured mentee of the month, Jill Martinez, opens up about her career journey in the telecommunications industry and how WICT Mentoring is helping her hone her skills and reach new heights as Sr. Director of Human Resources for Spectrum Reach.
Q. Could you tell me a little about your history as a member of WICT, how long you’ve been a member, and how it’s influenced you and impacted your career so far?
A. I’ve been a member of WICT for more than 15 years and have been in the cable industry for 20 years. I became familiar with WICT pretty early on in my career. The companies I’ve worked for have been big sponsors of WICT—initially with Time Warner Cable and now Charter Communications.
Being located in SoCal, I’ve attended a lot of the annual award ceremonies, seminars and workshops held in the area. Most recently, I’ve been a much more active member. I was able to attend the annual WICT conference in New York City, a few years ago, and it was really impactful to be a part of a multi-day seminar with hundreds of other women and some amazing speakers.
Last year, I attended the WICT Rising Leaders program that was held virtually. Although I was disappointed it wasn’t going to be held in-person, I didn’t want to delay my participation in the program. It was time well-spent and I was able to meet and interact virtually with so many women in the industry. It was dedicated time thinking about my own leadership journey and how to continue to develop and progress.
This year, I decided to take the leap and apply to be part of the mentoring program. Working in HR, I’ve launched mentoring programs but sometimes we’re exempted from participating in them ourselves, so, I thought going through the mentoring program with WICT was a really good option and I was lucky enough to be selected.
Each seminar or program has provided me additional skills, perspective, motivation and inspiration that I took back with me to implement in my professional career.
I would like to know a little more about your background in HR. It seems like you’re at least a mid-level professional and you do have a lot of experience. Could you tell me about your background in the field and how your mentor is helping you meet your new goals?
You can say I’ve grown up in cable. I started my career by providing HR support to cable operations for Time Warner Cable (now Charter Communications) and for the past 13 years I’ve been supporting the advertising sales division.
I think once you get to this point in your career, it’s easy to pass by opportunities for professional development thinking there isn’t enough time for that. Instead, I’ve really started to seek out professional development especially in the last few years. Recently, my team has grown and I want to make sure I’m being an intentional leader focused on setting the team up well for the future and fostering a high-performing culture as much as I can. It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day operations, but I feel now more than ever that I need to rise above that and take my own leadership to a different level so I’m fostering the right culture and strategic direction for my team.
My mentor, Linda Kavanagh, has been a tremendous help in providing perspective on building teams, sharing her experiences, and giving me food for thought. It’s been wonderful to bounce ideas off of her and hear her insight. It’s nice to know that some of the experiences I’m sharing with her, she’s experienced also. It’s helped us build a camaraderie and bond.
Could you tell me more about how a formal mentoring program is different from informal mentoring such as when people form a mentor-mentee relationship with someone in the field or through networking?
I think one of the biggest differences is the WICT Mentoring Program provides some structure to mentoring even though it’s a free-flowing relationship and what we discuss and how we use our time is up to us. It takes a different tone when you know you’re part of a program that you both signed up for that you’re selected to participate in among a number of other applicants, and that you both committed to setting aside time to connect and work on the objectives that you decide upon at the start of your relationship. So, it’s still a free-flowing relationship, but I think that the formality of it being structured in this kind of program puts more importance on using the time wisely.
Could you tell me how a formal mentoring program, such as this one, is helping you in terms of focusing on areas of development, planning your next steps, and finding resources and opportunities that you may not have been able to find, or focus on, on your own?
Upon our initial conversation, Linda really wanted to know in what areas I wanted to focus and I came prepared with ideas of what I would want to discuss with her. I think having mentees come prepared with what they want to achieve with their mentoring relationship is important.
Before we ended each meeting, Linda and I would discuss the content for our next meeting and I would tell her what action steps I would be taking during our time apart. This helped me be accountable to the action items we discussed and would give us a starting place for our next conversation. I think having the mentor and mentee have specific goals and action items and setting up the framework for the next meeting makes that time very well spent.
Linda has been a wealth of knowledge for me. Some of her experiences are similar to mine because we’re both in the HR field, but because we’re in different companies with different company cultures supporting different business operations, we have a lot of different experiences to draw upon and share with each other. She’s always been able to give me something new to think about.
Can you speak more about your mentor and how you feel that she is a match for your personality, learning style, and career goals?
I appreciate how relatable Linda is as a person and as an HR professional. It’s nice to be paired with a mentor that can understand what it’s like to be in HR in this climate, but to also have that outside perspective, as well. Linda’s style is so caring and friendly. She’s a great active listener who is truly listening to me to understand and isn’t listening just to respond. The connection has been wonderful because she’s a true sounding board who is there to listen fully and then offer support by providing different perspectives and ways of looking at things which is what I was looking for in a mentor.
Can you share some other projects you have been working on together as well as some specific takeaways that you would like to receive as a result of participating in this program?
A lot of what I’ve been working on with Linda is around leadership development—how I can become a better leader—and how to help foster a high-performing culture for my team. It’s about examining, “what am I doing today and what can I be doing better?” And then looking into the future, ‘where do I need to get my team?’ and then talking about some strategies to implement to get there.
In order to make the most out of the mentor-mentee relationship, how might you suggest that a mentee prepare so that the mentor understands the kind of support and resources that they need in order to reach their goals?
I think coming into a mentor and mentee relationship preparation on both ends, but especially the mentee, is the most important. I think mentees need to know what areas they want to focus on with their mentor and they should be somewhat specific so that they can make the most of their time together and actually create plans that you can execute. Being prepared before you talk to them knowing what you want to discuss and knowing what kind of support you are looking for is key. You could simply be looking for advice or a sounding board, or perhaps more formal resources like books or podcasts to listen to.
I also think setting up some basic expectations at the start of the relationship around how often you are going to speak is beneficial. Having a set cadence will lend itself to using the time wisely and having everything run smoothly.
What would you say are the perks of the WICT Mentoring Program that you’ve experienced so far that keep people talking about it, inquiring about it, and wanting to participate? Can you tell me what you might find to be unique about this particular program?
I think the two ladies who run the program, Gloria and Paola, are extremely talented and put together a well-organized program. What I like most is the variety the program offers. Not only are you paired with a mentor that you work with directly, but the additional experiences they provide in this small group setting is really beneficial. The guest speakers are really inspiring and the small group activities are a fun way to network and learn from others. I think one of the biggest benefits of this program is that type of variety in activities.
Recently, I heard a senior-level executive asked to be a mentee rather than a mentor. What are your thoughts about how WICT Mentoring can be beneficial to both junior-level professionals as well as mid-level professionals, and maybe people who are more seasoned? Do you see it being a fit for all levels?
Definitely. I think that you should never stop learning. You should never stop growing or developing. I think that there is a misconception out there that when you reach a certain level perhaps you focus a little bit less on your development or you look at a mentoring program and think that it’s not meant for you to be a mentee anymore. The mentoring relationship has no limit on levels—it is a way to continue to develop yourself professionally because you’re connecting with another professional woman who is navigating the corporate world just like you are. At the end of the day, it’s all self-development which should be a continual process.
What would you say to people who are thinking about participating in the program, but may be on the fence due to time constraints or any other reason?
It is a commitment that everyone should take seriously. If you apply and you’re ultimately selected, it should be a priority along with your other priorities. It’s not time well spent for either party if the amount of effort isn’t put into it. Is there ever a good time to start something new? Maybe not, but I think that in finding the time and making it a priority, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. If you decide that you’re going to dedicate this time to it then the rewards will be there.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think it’s easy for all of us to do our day job and get wrapped up into what we have going on right in front of us. One of the best things about being part of WICT is how inspired I feel after participating in the programs, listening to the speakers, and networking with the other participants. It breathes new life into me and I think, ‘I’m going to be a little bit selfish and carve out some time for me and my own aspirations.’ And to be around other women who are so successful or just have the passion around their own development and growth, it’s hard for that not to be contagious. I think WICT is so valuable in providing inspiration to other women to take the time to work on themselves and pursue their career aspirations.
This interview of Jill Martinez, Sr. Director of Human Resources for Spectrum Reach was conducted and partially condensed by Celine West.
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