Mentoring tandem: Nina Sattlegger & Lisa-Marie Epple

Text: Eva Schlegl, Photos: Marija Kanizaj

towards the end of her business studies at the University of Graz, Lisa-Marie Epple began to wonder more and more. The key question she asked herself was: "Should I I do the doctorate after the master's or not?" "I wanted to and explore what impact the decision would have on a future job. future job. Of course, I also talked about it with my friend:s and with my family about it. But I also wanted an outside perspective on this issue external perspective, someone who had an objective point of view," says Epple. When she heard about the mentoring program at the University of Graz, she contacted the person responsible for the project, who looked for a suitable mentor for her. In the meantime, the mentoring program at the University of Graz now has its own website, which provides all the info for existing and future mentor:s and mentees is bundled
(https://mentoring.uni-graz.at).

A first date

"The first contact between mentor:in and mentee is almost like a first date. You ask yourself: do you want this mentoring? Does this mentoring pairing fit? Is it a good match?" recalls Nina Sattlegger. It was a match between her and Lisa-Marie Epple - making them the official mentoring tandem. Nina Sattlegger knows both sides of this tandem; she was once a mentee herself. After studying for a master's degree at the University of Graz and Med Uni Graz, the Carinthian native went to Vienna for work and came into contact with "Club alpha," which is dedicated to networking and promoting women. "I was able to gain many great experiences there as a mentee. It was very inspiring and horizon-expanding. Now I can give a lot back," says Sattlegger. "For me, mentoring is a matter of the heart. The beauty of it is that both sides benefit equally." She describes her task as a mentor this way: "It's like a ball of wool with knots - and as a mentor, in the best case, you have the ability to point out those possibilities that can contribute to the solution."

Nina Sattlegger is a senior consultant at Talentor Austria in Vienna and works as a headhunter in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.

Structured

Corona's first meetings with the two women could not take place in person. "We emailed each other first and then communicated via video sessions. We established what we were going to work on at each meeting. I prepared for each sequence and thought of specific questions," Lisa-Marie Epple describes the meetings. "Lisa-Marie was always prepared beyond my expectations. She was incredibly structured and goal-oriented from the beginning. It was a great fit. My goal was always to guide her in the best way possible and make her feel like her questions and issues were being resolved." The two took about an hour per session. After four months, they were able to have their first face-to-face meeting, where they "got to know each other again over coffee," they say. "Each meeting was a huge learning curve - for both sides," says Nina Sattlegger. "After all, you also take away an incredible amount from this process as a mentor. You come to terms with other perspectives and reflect very strongly on what ultimately makes a good management personality."

Lisa-Marie Epple works as a human resources developer at the Graz University of Technology.

Making mistakes

"I received a lot of important support from the mentoring during the transition period from my studies to professional life and made a leap in my personal development," says Lisa-Marie Epple. In addition, the mentoring gave her an important "aha" experience: "I am very perfectionistic. For me, everything always has to fit 100 percent. Thanks to Nina, I learned that mistakes are also allowed. She explained to me that these are not weaknesses, but learning areas that I can deal with. We should all be brave enough to make mistakes, too. That's what gets us ahead." The two have since officially completed their mentoring, but "would do it again anytime," as they explain in unison. "The importance of mentoring is being recognized more and more," says Nina Sattlegger. "That's a good thing!"