Listen to the full interview:
1. Can you give the readers a day-in-the-life snapshot of what you do as the Executive Director of Mentorship at the FinServ Foundation?
“First and foremost, I am a mom. I have two little girls as well. I have a seven-and-a-half-year-old and a five-year-old. I have to make sure I take care of those duties first. But as an Executive Director, you wear a number of hats. You’re constantly thinking about growth. How are we elevating every single day to make sure the company is growing? And then there are the programs and initiatives we set forth. I always say to our team that every decision we make when it comes to a non–profit: is it honoring our actual vision? Are we making an impact on financial services by breaking down barriers to help the next generation of leaders come into the space? That’s really the most important thing they need to think about. Being at an executive level for a company, finances are so different. All of this is volunteer work. All of this is done where we need to be mindful of the budget and donor’s money, and so a lot of that is going through my head.
This past week, I’ve interviewed over 25 potential students to join our program. That’s what we’ve been set on—building decks to prepare for that. Our sponsorship cohort goes live in October. I’m concluding the one that’s currently happening right now. So, dealing with 150 advisors who have offered their time to be mentors. Lastly, at the end of the day, I am either checking in on clients I have with my consulting firm and just making sure my kids feel like their mom is showing up as well.”
2. What pulled you into this type of work?
“The mentorship side of my work comes from having a mentor. When I came out of college, my whole goal was to make an impact, ‘take over the world,’ be an amazing whatever person I was going to be in the workforce. And at that time, I was working for a sports marketing firm, and the owner of the company is who I reported to. It was my first job. I didn’t really understand how I was supposed to show up or how a boss was supposed to show up. And unfortunately, it was not a great experience.
My sister heard me on a Zoom call, and she said, ‘Is that how your boss typically talks to you?’
I said, ‘Yeah. Is that not right?’
She was like, ‘There’s a lot of belittlement going on. There’s a lot of anger going on. I don’t know, Kellan.’
I started to do some self-reflection and observe what was really going on. And I said this isn’t the right fit. I can do better than this. I set some goals for myself and really wanted to find a boss who would treat me well. And I did. I ended up working for a commercial construction company. His name is Brett Musgrove. I say his name all over the world because he’s done so much for me. He taught me how to be a leader and a manager; he taught me to show up as my best self and not be afraid to share my vulnerabilities. What was so beautiful about Brett was that he didn’t have all the tools to manage me, but he gave me the opportunity to go outside of the firm to find that. He allowed me to be a part of coaching programs, understand how sales management works, and go through Sandler training programs to be the best possible leader. And that was really special.”
3. How do you define mentorship?
“There are styles of mentors. There’s the challenger, the coach, the sponsor, the connector, the educator, and the ideator. What I love about these programs is we build them out for the mentors as well as the mentees, because the most successful programs don’t just help the mentee; you are helping the mentor show up in their best way. Once they align with that specific style, the overall purpose is to provide guidance, advice, and feedback to help the mentee develop their own skills so they can position themselves in the best way for their future. Now, it’s interesting. There’s been a lot of talk in financial services about sponsorship. What about sponsorship versus mentorship?
Sponsorship is where the mentor uses their influence to help their mentee advance their career. You’re talking referrals, introductions, and talking advancement in their career if it’s their boss. I have always been a firm believer with all of this research that if you are in a true mentor/mentee relationship, sponsorship needs to be a part of it. For them to be successful to your point, Brett wasn’t the best leader for a female, but he knew some people who were. He put his, let’s just call it his reputation, on the line to make me better, whereas in true mentorship, you create learning opportunities for them to advance because they’re learning the tools from you. There’s a lot of different ways to look at mentorship and have those styles. But at the end of the day, it’s about empowering the mentee and giving them access.”
4. What should people consider when choosing a mentor?
“It’s a matter of answering the right questions to align them with what they are trying to achieve, the importance of just having one piece of connection. Do they share a hobby? Do they share a passion? Are they from the same place? Michael Lane is an advisory board member for FinServ.
And one of the most beautiful things he said to me because he interviewed so many people was, ‘I love the people that come in and have done the research and are able to find a piece of connection. That gets me excited and breaks down any barrier that I might have already created.’
Because we show up in fear. We really do. Is this person going to be safe or am I supposed to be in fear mode? And if you’re able to break that down right away, it makes all the difference. We always try to make sure there’s something that aligns them and connects them. And then we send them off and they go through the program.”
5. What’s in it for the mentor? Why would someone want to become a mentor?
“I love this question because most of our volunteer mentors are financial advisors and they’re not going to gain a client from this; they’re giving up time when they could be meeting with a potential client. Why is this beneficial for them? It’s that moment when you see the mentee advance because of that small piece of impact that you had. Like right now, my whole body is in chills because those moments are what keep you so motivated and driven behind the passion to see the next generation be better than us, to take the reins and take our knowledge and be that good. It is just so fulfilling to watch them succeed.”
6. How can some start to connect with a mentor?
“If you’re a part of a large organization, just go to HR, right? Whoever your HR representative is, first just ask if it exists. If it doesn’t, ask: do they have a resource that could help support your professional development? Because of course, they usually will, especially at that level.
It’s just understanding the resources within the industry. Our generation didn’t have these formalized mentorship programs when we were younger, when you’re so desperately yearning for that, so the informal mentor is still so powerful and still exists.
Now here’s the thing: usually they’re afraid to ask, right? Someone inspires you. You really want to learn from them. Ask for a 20-minute coffee Zoom, right? See if you can get to know them or come super prepared with questions. And if you’re looking for a longer-term mentorship, make it clear what your goals are. If they can’t be the person to do it, tell them what you’re looking for in someone. I guarantee you they have someone in their network they’ll refer you to.”
Interviewer
Finka Jerkovic
Career Advancement Coach and Founder of Finka Inc.
With 25+ years in leadership and sales and the financial services industry, she has witnessed the power of recognizing and celebrating people’s unique strengths and differences (a.k.a Brilliant Differences™) within a workplace. When everyone’s unique talents are appreciated and people work together using them, that’s when the real magic of career and business growth happens. Fast forward 10 years. Finka has established programs that help mid-career professionals and leaders grow in their careers by tapping into the full potential of their personal brand, so they can clearly define their strengths, value their differences, and perform at their best.
Interviewee
Kellan Brown
Executive Director of Mentorship at the FinServ Foundation and Founder of Van Hoesen Consulting
Kellan’s career in Executive Leadership spans over 15-years and three separate industries. She has worked in various leadership roles including Chief Growth Officer at Income Lab, Senior Vice President at Finance of America Reverse, and Vice President/Chief Growth Officer at PrimeCo. She is considered a subject matter expert for implementing mentorship programs in firms and non-profits, and currently is the Executive Director of Mentorship for the FinServ Foundation where their mission is to empower the next generation of financial professionals through coaching, mentorship, and community. Kellan is an advisory member of Hand to Hand, a Foundation Fund that grants funding for women-led non-profit organizations. She was the women’s lead for Finance of America’s enterprise DEI&B initiative, and she chaired the Mentorship committee across all Finance of America companies. In addition to speaking at Morningstar, WealthManagement.com, FPA National, Investment & Wealth Institute, and a number of podcasts across the Industry on the NexGen, Kellan was the keynote for the InvestmentNews Women Advisor Summit and was recognized as a Women to Watch in 2022 for the Ascension Award for majority women lead companies. In May of 2024 the FinServ Foundation mentorship program Kellan chaired won global recognition by WealthBriefing.
