Mosaic Mentorship: Penny Collins
Mosaic Mentorship is a *new* blog series we’re launching to bring together perspectives in leadership to guide new and aspiring leaders in your leadership journey. “Mosaic” speaks to the beauty of bringing together multifaceted insights into a cohesive whole – because none of us should do leadership alone. I hope this is a place where you can learn, be inspired, and feel encouraged as you lead your team and grow personally and professionally.
Penny Collins
VP, Head of Human Resources, Critical Care
Edwards Lifesciences
If you know me, you’ll know I have such a high respect and love for my mentors.
They’re phenomenal women, and they help encourage me and keep me on track in powerful ways. I don’t want to keep their wisdom all to myself – which is why I’m starting a new series called “Mosaic Mentorship” to help me spread messages from these women I deeply care about.
This month, we’re privileged to hear from Penny Collins who I met early in 2010. She was my leader for three years at a previous company and for several years, we were a team of two. Together we strategized, built, and facilitated training initiatives for employees across the country. Through the years, we have stayed connected with casual lunches and dinners as friends and mutual colleagues. I’m so grateful to have met Penny so many years ago and continue to exchange industry insights and career guidance. Without further ado here’s Penny!
Q&A:
Penny, you’re in HR, so I’d love to talk about growth & development. What’s something you wish you had access to early on in your leadership career?
I started leading people early on in my career but I had very little formal development training. I think having a solid foundation for a leadership approach with frameworks and methodologies would have been very helpful to me in a new leadership role. From there, you can layer on more informal learning and on-the-job development to give you different perspectives.
Think back to your first experience of being mentored. How did that relationship come about?
My first mentor was a peer who I respected. Her thought partnership was so valuable to me since she was going through similar leadership challenges. The mentoring was very organic.
Any suggestions for the woman who's thinking about approaching someone to ask for their mentorship?
It doesn’t have to be formal. You might just ask for their opinion about a business problem you are facing and solicit their feedback and then go from there.
At Matz Learning Solutions, we talk a lot about trust. What are some of your thoughts on trust?
Trust is huge! To cultivate trust in my team, I am as honest and authentic as I can be with my team members. I also have a lot of trust with the leaders in my business groups that I support. It’s foundational to every business relationship.
Thanks for leading the way, Penny. I am so grateful for you!
Lead the way,
PS – Have a question, but no mentor?
Send me your questions on LinkedIn and one of my mentors will be honored to address them in an upcoming post. 💜
