How being a mentor can set you to become the best product leader you can be Vivek Bedi is the former VP product of companies including LearnVest, Goldman Sachs, and the author of the book 'You: The Product'. An engineer by education and entrepreneur by trade, Vivek Bedi is obsessed over pioneering initiatives that will change the way we work, live, and communicate. He's spent his career focusing on people, innovation, and technology — the ingredients that he believes are fundamental to building a successful business. Vivek is an experienced leader with the unique combination of deep product management expertise, disruptive executive leadership, and a portfolio of motivational keynotes that have inspired thousands of individuals. Over his career journey, he has had the fortunate privilege of driving explosive change across Fortune 100 companies as well as rapidly scaling multiple startups to reach success. Having led in both environments has taught him the lesson of blending aspects of the best of both cultures together, which is the key to a winning business strategy. Vivek Badi is passionate about sharing these lessons on stage so others can benefit from his experiences.

1. The Power of
Mentoring

2. vivekbedi.com
Goldman Sachs
Northwestern Mutual
Sterling BackCheck
LearnVest
mySwapp
FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES
STARTUPS
Who am I?
AUTHOR, SPEAKER, DIGITAL LEADER

3. What words comes
to your mind when
we hear the word
mentor?

4. We don't know everything!
That's okay. Mentors are there
to provide you knowledge
from their own lessons,
failures, and successes.
We provide
knowledge!
1.

5. She's a VP or product
at a B2B company
but wants to move to
a B2C role but it's not
a VP role.
#career-confusion

6. Some Tips
PROVIDE INSIGHT
GIVE FEEDBACK ON YOUR EXPERIENCES
PROVIDE PROS & CONS ON THEIR OPTIONS
SHARE YOUR FAILURES!
ASK ABOUT WHAT THEY LEARNED FROM OTHERS
SO FAR
PROVIDE FULL CLARITY! THIS IS A SAFE ZONE

7. 2. Give
constructive
feedback!
A Quick Exercise
BECKY IS A DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT
HER TEAM LOVES HER
BUT MARKETING FINDS IT HARD TO
WORK WITH HER
SHE THINKS PRODUCT SHOULD OWN
THE ROADMAP
MARKETING IS FRUSTRATED

8. I received good
feedback that I need
to let my team
present and not
always be in the
driver seat!
#put-on-a-show

9. Some Tips
GETTING GOOD FEEDBACK
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP NOT JUST ANOTHER MEETING!~
KEEP IT REAL - AUTHENTIC, BE UP FRONT ON
WHAT YOU THINK CAN BE BE IMPROVED
BE HONEST AFTER ALL THEY ARE HERE FOR THAT
FIND BALANCE OF CONSTRUCTIVE AND POSITIVE
FEEDBACK

10. 3. We are their
safe zone!
THEY HELP FIND BALANCE!
Mentors can help pin-point emotional
issues that might be affecting your
career such as work/life balance, the
way you are being perceived, and much
more.

11. Family responsibility
vs. board meeting.
I was not myself and
my mentor helped
me through it.
#family-scare

12. Some Tips
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF SAFE ZONE
SHARE IT ALL! THEY NEED TO HEAR IT AND TRUST
YOU!
WE DON'T KNOW THEIR CIRCLE
ASK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THEIR
CAREER
TREAT THEM LIKE A CAREER AND NON-CAREER
FRIEND

13. 4. Provide them
with new
connections.
The beauty of mentors is they can
provide you with others to connect with
that you wouldn't have access to!

14. Some Tips
NETWORKING
BE THOUGHTFUL OF WHO IN YOUR NETWORK
COULD HELP IN THEIR SPECIFIC ISSUE
ASK HOW THEY CURRENTLY MET OTHERS AND BUILT
RELATIONSHIPS
GIVE AND TAKE
INSTRUMENT COFFEE CHATS INTO THEIR
SCHEDULE

15. 5. We need to be
their number 1
fans!
Mentors want us to succeed and at some
point we all need some encouragement.

16. I was lost in my career
and my mentor picked
me up!
It literally saved my
experience of my career
and sanity!
#admit-and-shift

17. Some Tips
GIVING THAT ENCOURAGEMENT
BE VULNERABLE AND MEET LIVE IF YOU CAN
BE AUTHENTIC
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP OFFLINE
MAKE IT A TWO WAY RELATIONSHIP

18. Try this at Home - Experiment
YOUR MENTEE HATES HER JOB - SHE HAS BEEN THERE FOR
OVER 5 YEARS AND KNOWS SHE NEEDS A CHANGE.
HER MANAGER IS NOT REALLY SUPPORTING HER.
SHE HAS INTERVIEWED AT A FEW PLACES FOR
ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW BUT HASN'T HAD LUCK.
SHE IS DOWN AND OUT. HOW CAN A YOU HELP
HER FEEL POSITIVE AND HAVE HER NOT GIVE UP?

19. Your are doing this to feel
good! Make sure you find
the right level of respect
for the relationship.
Try to make it a deep
and meaningful
relationship.
Get yourself some
help too! If they can
help you use it. They
acutally want that.
The Traits of an Effective
Mentor
OBSERVE AND PRACTICE THESE FOR YOURSELF

20. Meet with folks you rarely
engage with and ask for
real feedback and ways to
improve.
TWO COFFEE CHATS
A DAY!
A little token of
appreciation goes along
way. It can be a gift, a
thank you note, or even a
social post.
SHOW APPRECIATION
It's important to show it all
the good, the bad, and the
ugly. Also the personal and
professional. You have
nothing to lose.
SHOW ALL YOUR
CARDS
Useful Everyday Tips
FOR MENTORS

21. HOW I CAN
HELP?
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT IS NOT
EASY (IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY
HARD).
Coach, Mentor, or Advisor
Talks or Speaking
Interactive Workshops
Writing & Blogs
Networking
Listening..
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22. VIVEKBEDI.COM
VIVEKBEDI@GMAIL.COM
"To build great
products you first
need to build a
great you."
FINAL WORDS