Murray Rosenthal is a cybersecurity professional and has worked in the field for over 30 years. He helps organizations realize their digital transformation objectives by integrating security risk management into the design fabric of complex change initiatives at‑scale.
What motivated you to join TRIEC Mentoring Partnership as a mentor?
I joined the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership because I wanted to give back to new Canadians who call this country their home. I come from a family of immigrants. I witnessed first‑hand the struggles of my parents as they toiled to make ends meet, and their resolve to provide me with a brighter future, and opportunities more promising than their own. I told myself that if I were fortunate enough to realize my professional goals, I would help those new to the Canadian reality to acclimate to the job market, and careers opportunities, and guide them through the employment process. The TRIEC Mentoring Partnership is helping me realize these goals.
How have you supported your mentees throughout the partnerships?
One of the most important aspects in any relationship is the ability to listen, and remain attentive, to the needs of the other person. A mentoring partnership is no different. The most effective support I can give to the mentees that I’ve coached is to determine how I can best service their needs and remain non‑judgemental about what they have expressed as being important to them. People feel valued when they know that they have been heard and acknowledged. To that end, I let the mentees set the agenda, and the roadmaps for our interactions, so that I can facilitate these aspects for them. When the mentees see that their needs are being met, and progress is being made, the relationship will grow – and trust with it.
What has been your top mentoring moment?
My top mentoring moment? It’s knowing that I’ve been able to outfit mentees with the knowledge, tools, mindset, and wisdom necessary for them to succeed in the career marketplace. That moment has repeated itself each time that I’ve had the opportunity to work together with the people that I’ve coached. I’ve seen how the person’s confidence has grown. The fog of uncertainty about how to best proceed when we initially meet gives way to clarity of purpose at the end of the partnership period. Both of us are confident that the job search process will yield a positive result because what’s been accumulated along the way far exceeds where we were at the beginning of the journey.
How has becoming a mentor helped you succeed in your own career?
Success in one’s career has many measures. For me, it’s the ability to be, and remain, humble. Experience, professional designations, accolades, endorsements, and six-figure salaries may be outcomes of one’s career progression, but they are not indicative of success if they are achieved by behaviours, and attitudes, that belie arrogance and haughtiness. I have come to understand that no person is a Swiss army knife – and those who claim to be are just deluding themselves. Recognize, and respect, your limitations. Remain hungry for knowledge – but not at the expense of trivializing, and denigrating others.
What advice would you give to someone considering mentoring newcomers?
One of the most powerful, compelling suggestions that I can offer to help someone succeed in their career search is to visualize that person’s present situation, and imagine their struggles, worries and doubts. Deeply identifying, and commiserating, with someone and their situation attunes me to their world. It means breaking free of self‑centredness and self pre‑occupation in favour of the other person, and their challenges. Changing one’s mindset to reflect someone else’s causes identification to take hold, and root, within. I’ve become more selfless, and understanding, at a richer, deeper level of expression and engagement. I am with my mentees through their high and low moments.
If you are a newcomer to Canada looking to build your career, consider applying for the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program.