expresso: mentorship

SYMBIOTIC INTERACTIONS HELPED ME DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN MY TECHNICAL AND PEOPLE SKILLS.”

Kamlesh Kumar, SE, PE

the Illinois Tollway, a multidisciplinary project with multiple stakeholders. Vinod’s management style is to meet, then surpass, requirements to deliver award-winning projects. For this project, Vinod was the overall structural lead and coordinated efforts between EXP and other firms, while Kamlesh was serving as the lead structural engineer. As the project progressed, Vinod noticed Kamlesh’s desire and ability to provide technical and tactical directions to the large team. He would slowly let the meetings be organized and led by Kamlesh and supplement his input when needed. Vinod entrusted Kamlesh to undertake independent tasks and manage teams on his own while still making himself available to teach and nurture Kamlesh’s ambition to take on project management. While interacting with clients, he brings the same clarity in communications and thoroughness in his work as he observes in Vinod. Kamlesh now leads his own team to serve the client’s interests, which he attributes to Vinod’s mentorship and management style.

Kamlesh Kumar (left) and Vinod Patel (right)

Today, Vinod continues to mentor Kamlesh and young engineers. As for himself, he is tremendously grateful for the experience of being someone’s informal mentor. When asked what he gains from being a mentor, he humbly replies, “It’s very rewarding to give guidance to younger generations. It is important to share knowledge and instill the right way to manage projects, budgets and communication skills. This will benefit them later. I am happy to pass down what I’ve learned and I hope the next generation applies it well.”

There is a reason why some stories are classics. It’s because they are timeless, just like mentorship.

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