Those of you who’ve herded cats before know that project management can be a difficult, thankless job. You need to organize multiple moving parts, manage outcomes and expectations across individuals and teams, meet deadlines, and stay on-budget. It requires someone who knows how to prioritize, see the forest and the trees, and motivate people to row their hardest in the same direction. You might as well be juggling chainsaws while giving a TED Talk. On top of all that, it helps to be engaged, empathetic, and infectiously positive. Doesn’t this sound like the kind of person you want to have mentor you?
Experienced Mentors Create Smarter Founders
Lucky for The Farm (and our startups) we get all this and more in mentor Chris Griswold. Chris is a Senior Manager in Project Management at Comcast, and an expert in leading teams through complex technical implementations and transitions. Chris’ experience and temperament make him a great match for startup teams. Just like founders building a business, he knows how to make a BHAG a reality: take what feels like an overwhelming amount of work, break it down into doable parts, get the work done, ask for help when necessary, put out fires, and stay motivated and encouraged along the way.
Benefits That Go Both Ways
Chris is a great example of how mentoring can benefit both the mentee and the mentor. Here he explains why he does it, and what he’s learned from the experience.
Why do you mentor for The Farm?
I’m very passionate about collaborating and learning with innovative startups early on in the process, to realize their full potential and help guide actualizing their idea.
What’s surprised you most about mentoring?
I continue to be blown away at how this program, and the mentoring process, teaches me to be better in my current role within the Comcast ecosystem and in the future.
Meet the Mentors
We’re grateful to Chris for his involvement and support! Want to work with Chris and other folks like him? Learn how to apply to The Farm accelerator, and join us at The Farm Demo Day on November 9 to meet some of our mentors in person.
