Mentoring Unlocked Podcast

“Shut up and just ask a question.” While this sounds confronting, encouraging a response with the right question might be the biggest lesson that a person can learn from the experience of mentoring? Especially at senior leadership levels.

Maud Lindley deep dives with Brett Himbury, former CEO of IFM Investors, to explore mentor listening, the art of sitting back and relaxing as a mentor, and hash out what “purpose” means in leadership.

“Shut up and just ask a question.” While this sounds confronting, encouraging a response with the right question might be the biggest lesson that a person can learn from the experience of mentoring? Especially at senior leadership levels.

Maud Lindley deep dives with Brett Himbury, former CEO of IFM Investors, to explore mentor listening, the art of sitting back and relaxing as a mentor, and hash out what “purpose” means in leadership. They look at how a strong sense of mission can shape decisions, even under intense pressure. Brett reveals a critical moment for him when his own mentor, Gary Weaver, inspired him to focus on understanding a person’s motivations as a pathway to understanding them as a whole.

Together, Maud and Brett unpack the power of informal mentoring moments, which can leave a lasting mark on careers. They also explore how mentoring can serve as a vital data source –an excellent opportunity for senior leaders to gain access to ideas they otherwise wouldn’t have. They also dig into Brett’s personal discovery of unconscious biases present in workplace dynamics, and how he came to understand why advocacy for diversity and inclusion in finance was so critical.