You may have seen on the news this month that France has appointed its youngest Prime Minister in modern history, the 34-year-old ‘whippersnapper’ Gabriel Attal. While presenting a very calm and collected demeanour, the new French PM has burst onto the scene with great popularity and a fresh new energy that both contrasts and complements the more established presence of President Emmanuel Macron.

Many have seen Macron’s appointment of Attal as the arrival of a Macron 2.0, a brand-new wunderkind who will follow in the footsteps of the president who was once viewed as something of a whizz kid himself. By appointing Attal, Macron is ‘shaking up’ his government, injecting a new lease of life into French politics, but while maintaining many of the core pillars of Macron’s presidency. Attal may not exactly be Macron’s protégée, but he certainly is under the protective, guiding wing of the French President.

It goes without saying that a mentor-mentee relationship is a valuable resource for talent in any organisation, not just politics. But the benefits for the mentor are also significant. Like Macron, they may benefit from the introduction of new ideas and approaches to projects and initiatives; they have the chance to share their knowledge and experience, which the next generation is able to evolve and reshape to ensure it remains relevant and applicable to ever-changing landscapes.

Mentorship doesn’t necessarily mean leading a new entrant to follow exactly in your footsteps. It is about investing time to guide and promote thinking to help them pave their own way and, in doing so, making way for continued evolution and advancement of both the mentor and mentee, but also the organisation.

Here at ABPM+, we delight in sharing our knowledge and experiences with individuals to assist them to shape their careers. Find out more by getting in touch today.

 

Rej Abraham, Sarah Torrington, Matt Byrne, Alex Handford