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Dione Dillard
Listen to this articleDione Dillard
Mid-Atlantic Director of Operations
Cigna Healthcare
What have you had to change during the past year to make sure you were still serving even if the approach had to change?
As a person committed to serving the community, stay-at-home orders during the pandemic and other changes in our world over the last year have forced me to pivot. Plans to participate in walkathons or attend a gala to support a worthy nonprofit organization were canceled. These in-person events were losses of not just fundraising opportunities, but much anticipated occasions to raise awareness about life-threatening diseases and to promote education and research. Therefore, I support these and other nonprofit organizations through monetary contributions.
How do you define mentoring and what steps do you take to ensure it is a priority and just part of your job duties?
I define mentoring as the opportunity to support and encourage a person to manage their own learning to maximize their potential and become the person they aspire to be. Throughout my career, I have mentored direct and indirect reports, early careerists and summer interns. Guiding and coaching people who have the potential for success, but not necessarily a plan or vision of how to achieve success, is the most rewarding part of my role as a leader. It brings me great joy to serve as a sounding board, a source of support and a safe place to disclose one’s innermost feelings.
