Mentoring is about realising together: ‘I’d rather teach you how to fish than give you a fish’

Jukka Viitanen, Project Manager at Nordea Technology, started mentoring on a whim and quickly realised that mentoring is a valuable and unique opportunity both for himself as a mentor and for Minttu Kauppi.

Jukka Viitanen and Minttu Kauppi both felt that they benefited from the mentoring organised by Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Text and photos by Minna Salakari

Jukka Viitanen ‘s motivation for mentoring stems from his desire to meet new people and help others – networking has always been natural and inspiring for Viitanen.

“I signed up straight away and didn’t really even think about it. The only thought I had at the time was whether I would be good enough,” he recalls.

Viitanen has a long background as a project manager with twenty years of experience in solving a wide range of challenges and managing teams.

“I have taken courses on mentoring and coaching in my work, but I have not made much conscious use of them. However, as a project manager, you are regularly faced with challenges, and your role is necessarily one that allows you to mentor.”

Concrete new perspectives and support for job search

Minttu Kauppi is an ICT engineering student specialising in cyber networks and security. She is in her final year at Turku University of Applied Sciences and will graduate in summer 2025. After graduation, her goal is to find a job in IT.

Kauppi applied for the mentoring programme at the last minute, when she received an email from the school informing him that a few mentors were still available.

The mentoring programme seemed interesting and appropriate for my current life, and I decided to take the opportunity. I decided that I had nothing to lose.

Although Kauppi had positive expectations, she also felt uncertain about what to expect from the programme. In particular, he hoped to gain new perspectives from an IT expert, tips on job search and support in planning his own career path.

Kauppi feels that mentoring has given her more confidence and courage to be more active in his job search and networking. It has also been an important support in his professional and personal growth.

Mentoring emphasises independence and personal responsibility

Jukka Viitanen went through the course materials and recalled the theoretical background of mentoring as he prepared for the mentoring relationship. His expectations from mentoring were clear: he hoped to experience the joy of success and to see that mentoring would help Kauppi.

Although mentoring has brought new perspectives, it has not significantly changed the way Viitanen works. He thinks it is because mentoring happens unnoticed in his own work all the time. Viitanen describes his management style by comparing it to the old wisdom:

I’d rather teach a hungry person to fish than take a fish to them every day. The same goes for mentoring.

The most surprising thing during the mentoring process has been the ease of discussion and the openness of the mentor. At the same time, Viitanen has noticed that it has been difficult not to give direct answers to the actor and instead guide them to find solutions themselves.

“This might have worked better for me if Mint wasn’t in the same field as I am. “Now I offered too many ready-made answers,” she reflects.”

Opportunities outside your comfort zone

Kauppi expected her mentor to have good listening skills, be approachable, understanding and encouraging.

All these expectations have been met with excellence. Our discussions have always been relaxed and open. The meetings have not only been expected, but have also been a positive addition to my daily life.

A specific example of the benefits of mentoring relates to the choice of the thesis topic.

– Jukka recommended a company where I could do my thesis. I hadn’t considered the company before, but decided to contact them. In the end, it gave me a good and interesting topic that I would never have thought of without my mentor,” Kauppi recalls.

I also remember a conversation where Kauppi realised the importance of being active: no one will offer you opportunities if you don’t step out of your comfort zone and take the first step.

Openness and listening as the cornerstones of mentoring

Kauppi recommends mentoring to her peers, as it is an educational and mind-expanding experience. Especially if the mentor is in the same field as the mentee, you can get valuable tips and perspectives from a professional in the field.

According to Viitanen, there are also challenges in mentoring, especially the role of the mentor. The main one has been finding a balance between providing guidance and giving ready-made answers. Her advice to new mentors is simple but valuable: be open and listen.

Ninety percent of mentoring is listening. Lead the actor in the right direction, but don’t give them ready-made answers.

Both Viitanen and Kauppi see trust, openness and a relaxed atmosphere as key factors for a successful mentoring relationship.

– It’s not such a difficult issue that we can’t talk about it,” Viitanen sums up.