I recently came across a discussion about Fidelity’s mentorship program in India, and it reminded me of my own experience—one that was far from empowering.
A couple of years ago, after being promoted from G4 to G5, I was assigned a Grade-8 leader as my mentor. His reputation? Talking endlessly without substance. He had no real insight into my work, and when I asked him questions about quant-related topics, his responses were completely off track. His only advice? "Learn the business."
Curious, I spoke with peers and discovered a pattern—many of these so-called mentors lacked fundamental knowledge in both tech and business. Yet, they were entrusted with guiding others.
Later, I was pushed into a "Women in Tech" group for "next-level mentoring." It was, without exaggeration, the worst mentoring experience I’ve ever had. The group was led by individuals with outdated mindsets, and the advice was painfully superficial. One woman emphasized the importance of "visibility"—a buzzword I now hear in every manager’s script. Another shared her "lifetime ambition" of presenting at an external conference (though what groundbreaking idea she had remains a mystery). Most of these presentations were high-level fluff with zero substance.
Ah yes, those prestigious BU head sessions—the corporate equivalent of a vanity press release. Let’s call them what they really were:
Narcissist Open Mic Night – Where mediocre leaders recycled the same empty platitudes, pretending they invented leadership.
Self-Promotion Hour – No substance, just carefully curated "war stories" where they’re always the hero.
The only thing these sessions actually taught us?
How NOT to lead – If your goal is to be irrelevant, self-absorbed, and allergic to real work, then congratulations—these people wrote the playbook.
I left the group, only to have my manager pressure me to rejoin—even mandating it in Workday.
Who authorized these people to mentor others? Why are we being guided by individuals who lack expertise, vision, or meaningful insight? Is the goal of mentorship to create more mediocre leaders like them?
If this is Fidelity’s idea of career development, no wonder so many talented women leave.