As someone who has been part of different communities throughout my journey, I always found myself searching for a great leader — someone who could guide me, mentor me, and help me develop a leadership style I could eventually call my own.
I encountered many mentors whom others looked up to, and I tried adopting their approaches. But things never quite fell into place the way I hoped. It took me a while — and a few hard lessons — to realize that not every leadership style will resonate with everyone. And when you spend too much time trying to embody someone else's style, it drains you. You end up chasing a version of yourself that was never yours to begin with.
Where It All Started
Through AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines, as part of the organizing team, we curated a mentorship initiative program open to mentors and mentees alike — whether experienced professionals, early-career individuals, career shifters, or students. The initiative aimed to connect people with similar interests who sought to:
- Find guidance in navigating their career path with clarity
- Grow their skills through practical mentorship and real-world insights
- Build meaningful connections in a safe, empowering community
- Gain the confidence to turn their goals into milestones
Even while juggling my responsibilities as part of the organizing team, I still signed up to be a mentor — with the quiet hope of finally becoming the kind of mentor I once needed.
I was paired with two amazing women who are student-leaders with a shared interest in Robotic Process Automation and a genuine passion for leading and serving their communities. Through a pre-mentorship survey, I gathered their insights and learned what they hoped to gain from our time together. From there, I curated a learning plan that would guide our sessions throughout the program.
Week 0: Onboarding
Before diving in, we aligned on expectations. I walked them through our program guide — our "golden book" — and laid out the overall structure. The program was divided into two learning paths:
RPA Learning Path
Focus: Microsoft Power Automate
Platform: Microsoft Learn
Method: Self-paced
Community Building & Leadership Development
Method: Live, classroom-style sessions
Week 1: Building the Foundation
We kicked off the RPA track with foundational lessons from Microsoft Learn, covering:
- Getting Started with Power Automate
- Build Your First Power Automate for Desktop Flow
On the leadership side, we explored Understanding Leadership Styles — why they matter, what the most common ones are, and how to begin identifying your own. We wrapped the session with a short quiz and a reflection activity.
One thing I made sure to leave them with:
There is no such thing as a perfect leader. Every great leader started the same way — with a single step, a small act of courage, and the willingness to try.
Week 2: Going Deeper
The second week marked a shift into intermediate RPA territory, with lessons from the PL-500T00-A: Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developer course on Microsoft Learn.
Our leadership sessions this week tackled two topics that go hand in hand:
Building a Tech Community — what it takes to create spaces where people genuinely want to show up
Communication & Influence — how to speak with intention and lead conversations that move people forward
Week 3: The Heart of It
We continued the intermediate RPA course while diving into what I consider the most meaningful part of the program:
Collaboration & Empathy
Great leaders don't just build systems, they build people.
Empathy is the not-so-secret ingredient that makes collaboration work. When you lead with intention and empower others to grow, you create teams and communities where everyone can succeed.
Giving Back & Sustainability
Leadership doesn't end when the session ends.
True impact comes from sharing what you've learned and paying it forward. When you give back, you don't just grow others — you grow yourself, too.
Facilitating these sessions in a community I consider my safe space brought me a kind of joy that's hard to put into words. Being a mentor here felt less like a role and more like coming home.
Week 4: The Culminating Activity
The final week was theirs. Each mentee presented their mini capstone project — a culmination of everything they had learned, built, and reflected on over the past four weeks. Watching them present with confidence and clarity reminded me exactly why I said yes to this in the first place.
A Note of Gratitude
To my two mentees — thank you. You came into this program as student-leaders, and you left having reminded me what leadership is really about. I came in hoping to teach, but you taught me just as much. Your curiosity pushed me to think deeper, your openness challenged me to be more intentional, and your growth genuinely moved me.
Mentorship is never a one-way street. I hope you carry everything we built together into every community you touch — and I hope you remember that the best thing a leader can do is make sure the people around them never stop growing.
I am proud of you both. Keep going.
To Anyone Reading This
If you've ever thought about becoming a mentor but talked yourself out of it, start anyway. You don't need to have all the answers. You just need to show up, listen well, and be willing to grow alongside the people you're guiding. The right mentees will change you just as much as you change them.
And if you're a mentee searching for the right mentor, know that the best ones aren't the loudest voices in the room. They're the ones who make you feel like your voice matters, too.
About the Author
Joanne De Guzman is a Senior Analyst, Automation & Integration at Go Global Business Services, Inc., the shared global professional services arm of the Gokongwei Group. A Class of 2025 Graduate of BS Information Technology from T.I.P. Manila, she specializes in developing and implementing automation solutions that drive efficiency and digital transformation across the organization.
Beyond her professional work, Joanne actively champions inclusion in tech as one of the User Group Leaders of AWS User Group BuildHers+ Philippines and a Media & Communications Volunteer with the Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY), advocating for women, LGBTQIA+, and inclusive innovation. She also serves as a Tech Volunteer for WorkFlow PH, a community under AWS Cloud Club Philippines that advances digital transformation by empowering communities through AI-driven automation.
Let's connect via LinkedIn: Joanne De Guzman
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