TSC Nanjing has launched the 2nd round of the WINGS Mentoring Program at the end of 2019, to support our employees in their individual career development by cross-functional communication. Now, after regular mentoring sessions, we have invited a cross-functional pair of mentor and mentee to share their experience and insight!

• Q1: How did you communicate during the past year?

Jenny: Our monthly meetups focused on topics that Jason would prepare diligently in advance. His topics were specific questions that he encountered in his daily work. In response, I would share my experience or find a solution together with him. He would also share with me his experiences and feelings when we met again. Gradually, we developed a virtuous circle of communication - "from practice to the method, and then back to practice".

Jason: As a Mentee, I feel it would be better if we both shared useful information with each other,. As a result, I prepared what Jenny might want to know as well. After communicating for one year, we formed a long-term partnership. Now, we can keep communication even if this round of program is over. This is also one of the most valuable outcomes for me.

• Q2: Is there any benefit to your career development?

Jason: It helps a lot. Career development is also a major topic of our discussion. Jenny introduced me to a "histogram of capabilities". This helped me to understand what type of abilities and qualities are required for the development of my career, what percentages should each ability account for, and how to be aware of my current weaknesses and how to improve them.

Jenny: Communication with Jason about career development made me recall my own experience. It was great that I could share some useful suggestions and experience with him. This process also helped me to learn more about other functional roles, which enriched my management skills as well.

• Q3: Does cross-functional communication have any influence or impact?

Jenny: While we came from different departments, the communication was mostly about soft skills such as career development and communication, so it didn't have much impact. In fact, cross-functional communication can also help us gain a better understanding of the relationship between IT development and operation.

Jason: This kind of cross-functional communication has broadened my horizons. Although I used to do technical operations and maintenance, I learned about how developers work from Jenny, since she is a supervisor in the development department and runs our IT Development Community.

Thanks for your sharing!