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🦇 Batman is obviously the best.

Billionaire playboy that stalks the night beating up criminals and cruising around in his rocket car. What’s not to like?

Yeah, Batman is cool. But what’s even cool is having a career superhero, and getting them to be your mentor.

What’s a career superhero, you ask?

A career superhero is someone you know, or know of. Perhaps you’ve worked with them in the past, or just observed them from a far. They’re someone you admire. Someone who’s career trajectory inspires you. Maybe it’s their energy and can do attitude. Maybe it’s their success in the face of adversity. It could be that what they’ve built has impressed you and drawn you to them.

Maybe, they’ve just done the things that you would like to do.

I’m always advising my data leadership coaching clients to identify the career superheroes in their lives and to then seek their mentorship.

Mentorship is a wonderful thing when done right. But we absolutely must pick the right people to be our mentors.

Getting it right can be an insane career boost for data leaders.

Let’s take a look, shall we? 👇🏻

(read more on this topic in my post: Haunted by managers guilt)

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🪧 Signs you might need a mentor

People who finally decide to seek out a mentor often find themselves experiencing one or more of the following:

They feel little a lonely in their post. They're too senior to share frustrations with their direct reports, and their relationship with their manager is generally tactical rather than someone they can connect with on bigger picture things. (Managers rarely make good mentors - I'll explain below).
Their perspectives and assumptions are not being challenged. When they believe things to be true without properly analysing those beliefs or having them pressure tested, they’re open to making big miscalculation both in their work and in their career choices.
They feel like they lack a big picture view of the world. They're heavily focused on their day to day activities and deliverables, but they don't have a bird's eye view of their work or careers. "Where the hell is this taking me?" they wonder. They’re constantly reacting rather than shaping things.
They’re unsure of what “good” actually looks like at the next level. They know how to do their current role, but the path beyond it feels very vague. They don’t want signals to react to and which ones to ignore. They don’t know where to double down or where to let up.

These signals typically show up when we’re operating without a solid reference point.

When a great mentor comes into our lives, they’re really able to help us lift the fog and provide that reference for us.

_{Quick Poll}

When you’re facing a tricky leadership decision, what do you mostly rely on?

(P.S. last week’s poll results are hidden down at the bottom)

⚡️ Why having a good mentor changes the game

A good mentor is not there to motivate you or pat you on the head. They are valuable because they compress learning and remove unnecessary friction that would otherwise slow you down.

Here is what actually makes the difference:

You are directly connected to someone who has already been where you are now. They have seen the trade offs, made the mistakes, and learned which battles are worth fighting. That means the advice you get is grounded in reality, rather than theory or speculation.
It speeds up your career progress. Without a mentor, you end up reinventing solutions through trial and error. With a mentor, you shortcut that process. You still have to do the work, but you spend far less time sucking at things.
It is networking at warp speed. Mentors often have access to people, opportunities, and perspectives you would not encounter on your own. Even when they never introduce you directly, they help you see how the system actually works.
You gain a proper thought partner. Someone who will challenge your assumptions, ask better questions, and push you out of default thinking. Not someone who simply agrees with you to be polite.
You get a safe space to be honest. Because they sit outside your immediate area of influence, you can talk openly about doubts, frustrations, and missteps without worrying how it will land politically.
BONUS point (one that often gets overlooked): a good mentor helps normalise the mess. Many data leaders assume everyone else has it figured out. Mentorship punctures that illusion very, very quickly.

🔍 How to find and keep a mentoring relationship that actually works

Most mentoring relationships fail not because of bad intent, but because of vagueness and neglect. A few simple behaviours make a huge difference:

Look beyond your direct manager. Managers are important, but they are often too close to the day to day. Conversations drift into delivery and tactics. Mentorship works best when there is enough distance to talk honestly about direction, identity, and career moves.
Choose experience over prestige. A good mentor has usually been through the challenges you are facing. If you want to grow as a data leader, another more senior data leader is often a better fit than a generic “leader” without the context of the challenge you’re facing.
Meet regularly, even if it is informal. Coffee, a walk, or a Zoom call all work. The cadence should match your needs. Weekly when things feel heavy. Monthly when you want a sense check and perspective.
Take ownership of the relationship. You are the primary beneficiary here. That means you own the calendar, the follow ups, and the momentum. Be proactive, but also respectful of their time. Your mentor is themselves very busy and you can’t expect them to drive things for you.
Come prepared. Have topics, questions, or situations you want to explore. Turning up empty handed puts all the burden on them and will waste goodwill very quickly.
Let relationships end when they have run their course. Mentors are there for particular seasons of your career. If you are no longer getting value, it is fine to move on. This is a professional relationship. One it has served it course, its in both your best interests to move on.

Done well, mentorship becomes a power force shaping your career. I’m willing to bet the house that every successful CEO, Founder, Athlete, Recording Artist etc. will credit much of their success to mentorship.

So why shouldn’t you also?

📨 Share this with someone in data you think might need to hear this message today!

💡 If this week’s topic resonated, my Coaching for Data Leaders can help

If you don’t have a mentor or can’t find one, I’d be happy to help. I provide one-to-one support for data professionals looking to grow into influential and unstoppable leaders. We work together to define your goals, strengthen your leadership skills and build a plan that moves your career forward.

→ Learn more about Coaching for Data Leaders