Guest Commentator: Erin A. Morton, Senior Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships, Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity, Thomas Jefferson University & Jefferson Health @JeffersonUniv @P_C_H_E_
How has mentorship helped you navigate your personal and career goals, especially during changing times?
I describe my career goals as fluid. I know the type of impact that I want to have through my work, but do not feel like I need to be married to any particular industry, title, or organization to accomplish my goals. I have taken opportunities as they have presented themselves to get involved in the work that matters most to me which has led me to a range of roles in development championing initiatives that advance equity on a local, regional, and national scale.
Perhaps because of how I view pursuing my goals, I had a very narrow view of what I could get out of the Pay it Forward mentorship program. I saw the program as an opportunity to work on public speaking and communications and a way to get more involved with the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. In my application, I talked a lot about wanting to establish a personal brand and honing my voice around the issues I cared about. I thought that meant we’d be working on talking points or getting me invited to speak on more panels. What I got from my mentor was so much better: a stronger clarity of purpose and an opportunity to think bigger about who I am and what I can do. My mentor not only helped me hone my voice like I had proposed, but also identified places where I was unknowingly limiting myself and helped me think beyond them.
I was not sure when I signed up that the Pay it Forward program was the right thing for me at the time. I am a mid-career professional who has always been fortunate to have unofficial mentors – people around me who were willing to invest in my learning. That being said, I am so glad that I participated in the last cohort. You can never underestimate what you can learn and how you will be impacted by someone who is willing to invest their time in your success.
Erin A. Morton is an alumni of the Chamber’s Pay It Forward program, a mentorship engagement program pairing young professionals with executives from Chamber member companies to cultivate membership and build a mutually beneficial relationship. Applications are currently open for mentees and mentors through Friday, October 8, 2021.
