By Louise Neilan, LGcomms Chair
Over the last month or so, members of the LGcomms executive have been busily shortlisting and then interviewing prospective Future Leaders for a place on the 2026 cohort of our gold standard development programme.
The thing that struck me most as I read applications and then spoke to applicants, other than the incredible talent that we have in our sector, was how appealing the idea of a mentor seemed to be. I think, without fail, every candidate mentioned having a mentor as a key motivator for applying.
While I’m delighted that so many brilliant communications professionals are looking to progress their careers through our flagship scheme, it saddened me a little that many see Future Leaders as the only way to find the support, inspiration and nurturing that you get from a mentor.
As you advance in your career, having a mentor is essential for so many reasons:
1. It allows you to carve out time from the relentless pressure of local government comms to think about you and your career
2. It gives you a critical friend who has ‘no skin in the game’ but is simply on your side
3. It will give you a different perspective or outlook on challenges you’re facing
4. It will inspire and motivate you, and help you find the right route to wherever you want to go next
So with all these benefits available from mentoring, I would encourage everyone, at whatever stage you are in your career, to go out and find a mentor – someone who is arm’s length from your day to day work but familiar enough to be able to empathise and advise.
You don’t need to wait for a Future Leaders place or another scheme – most comms professionals I know would be delighted to be asked and more than willing to give up a few hours of their time over the year to help.
Look around you, within your regional comms network, around the country, or even on your organisation’s senior leadership team. Who inspires you? Who do you think could become an experienced and trusted adviser? Who do you think you’d click with, learn from, aspire to be like?
And once you’ve found them, ask them, or if you’re too shy, ask your line manager or head of comms to ask them for you.
Once you’ve found a mentor there are many different ways to approach how you work together, but it’s worth having a look at the many resources that are available to help you get the most from the sessions. This blog from the Institute of Directors covers the basics well https://www.iod.com/resources/employment-and-skills/mentoring-relationship-tips/
LGcomms is going to think about how we might be able to support a wider mentoring offer for members in the future but in the meantime, don’t be shy! Go and find yourself a mentor. You’ll never look back.