a16z Podcast

On Mentorship and Leadership

Sep 28, 2022

Ken Coleman, a Silicon Valley pioneer with a rich history at HP and Activision, joins the discussion on the transformative power of mentorship. He highlights how personal qualities often outweigh traditional qualifications when breaking into competitive fields like tech. The conversation also dives into the emotional complexities of mentorship, emphasizing mutual engagement and trust. Coleman and the hosts discuss the importance of diversity in the industry, advocating for inclusive practices that enhance leadership and collaboration.

33:44

Creator website

Episode guests

Ken Coleman

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Mentorship as a Two-Way Street

02:35

Intro

3min

Navigating Mentorship and Opportunity

6min

The Art of Mentorship

11min

Mentorship and Diversity in Tech

12min

Navigating Mentorship: Approaching Executives for Guidance

2min

Navigating the Challenges of Mentorship

2min

Behind many great leaders, you’ll usually find a great mentor. The mentor-mentee relationship is often one of the most important and most fulfilling relationships people have, in both their careers and in their lives. So how do you find a mentor? What are different kinds of mentorship? And how can it help you break into an industry – or help others break in themselves?

In this episode from July 2018, a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz discusses mentorship with his mentor, Silicon Valley pioneer Ken Coleman, and Ben’s mentee, Michel Feaster, founder of Usermind and now Chief Product Officer at Qualtrics. They begin with their personal journeys and share advice and frameworks for mentorship, leadership, and growing as a founder.

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