The art of mentorship: Dan Buffery and Pat Loftus

Dan Buffery, Managing Director on the Infrastructure team in Toronto, and Pat Loftus, Senior Business Process Engineer on the ECI team in Boston, participated in a pilot mentorship program in 2023. Participants were matched, held mentoring sessions, and provided feedback to enhance the process for colleagues across the firm. This pilot progressed into the HarbourVest Mentorship Program launched earlier this year. 

We sat down with Dan and Pat to learn more about their mentoring experience and asked for any advice they have for mentors or mentees looking to get involved. 

I believe being a mentor has made me a better leader; supporting growth and development and helping a team member navigate opportunities are skills that I’ve developed as a mentor.

Can you tell us about your experience?  

This is my first time being a mentor and I didn’t know what to expect or frankly if I would have much to contribute to a high performing mentee like Pat. What I quickly learned is being a mentor isn’t about problem solving or providing answers. Pat clearly knows his job and does it well. I think I was most helpful in acting as a sounding board and offering a framework for how to think about his opportunities and challenges. As time went on, and we built comfort and trust, it enabled us to think bigger and more long-term.

Being a mentor has been a really positive experience for me. I’ve been fortunate to work with great people that have made a difference in my career and it’s rewarding to think that I’m able to do the same for someone else. There is great satisfaction in knowing that I can have a positive impact on Pat and his goals, and in turn, the business.  I believe being a mentor has made me a better leader; supporting growth and development and helping a team member navigate opportunities are skills that I’ve developed as a mentor. In working with Pat, I’ve also broadened my own understanding of HarbourVest and how much hard work and expertise goes into every aspect of what we do.

I would absolutely continue to be a mentor. I feel grateful that Pat and I are a good fit – we connected quickly, created a solid cadence, and understood what we could offer the other. Even after the pilot ended, we’ve continued to meet monthly. 

What advice do you have for mentors?  

We’re all busy and it’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day, working within our teams, focusing on what needs to get done. And the Mentorship program is a time commitment. My advice for those considering being a mentor: it’s worth the time. It’s been a great experience for me both personally and professionally.

After our first few meetings I could tell that Pat and I had a good connection. Pat is a great person, is easy to chat with and was clear in what would be most helpful for him. I would encourage all mentor/mentees to spend time building trust and ensure mentors understand what mentees would like to get out of the relationship.

Being a mentor isn’t about being an expert or having all the answers – it’s about being engaged. Listen, take notes, reflect, ask good questions, challenge, and be committed to your mentee. I think you’ll be surprised how rewarding the program can be. 

Having Dan as a tremendous mentor and reflecting on our conversations reaffirms how HarbourVest takes development seriously, and this is a great opportunity to get the most out of it.

Can you tell us about your experience? 

I’ve had and continue to have great mentors at HarbourVest, but in the past, they have been colleagues and leaders I work with day-to-day. In being paired with Dan, I didn’t know what to expect given I had never met him before, but it turned into an even more valuable experience than I could have anticipated. 

Once we developed a good cadence, I was able to use Dan as a sounding board, someone I could talk through work nuances with, get his guidance on how to approach scenarios, and discuss bigger picture items, like development related goals. Dan was able to offer not only a “third-party perspective” on specific work -related topics, but I was able to chat more about HIS lived experience navigating his career, which helped inform me on different approaches I can take. I also really appreciated the opportunity to know someone outside of my team, gaining his insight on the business at a higher level, and leveraging his perspective on the latest market trends impacting our firm. 

My goals with the program continuously changed over time, so before catching up with Dan, I’d send him one or two questions or ideas I wanted to discuss and give him time to process. This allowed Dan to be thoughtful in his responses and enabled me to be strategic in how we used our time. 

I feel very fortunate for my mentor/mentee relationship with Dan. I now have a motivator, a coach, and, honestly, someone who is just a nice connection at the firm who I enjoy talking to and am lucky to have in my network as a resource. 

What advice do you have for mentees? 

You get what you put in. There are so many great leaders at HarbourVest, so I encourage colleagues to explore mentors, get involved, and begin to build your network. If you are putting the time in, you’ll gain a lot from this kind of program.  

Being a mentee doesn't mean you have to have a big problem to solve, which I think I was an initial “worry” I had ahead of engaging with the program. What I learned was having that consistent opportunity to connect, chat through things, and have someone with experience work with you to take a step back and think about your career was invaluable and I highly recommend it. We all have opportunities to be leaders at HarbourVest, and Dan gave me the space and advice to really think about how I can continue to be an effective one.  

Having Dan as a tremendous mentor and reflecting on our conversations reaffirms how HarbourVest takes development seriously, and this is a great opportunity to get the most out of it.