Mower has successfully completed its first Mower Mentors program, a unique, two-way mentorship initiative designed to cultivate a network of trusted advisors who model Mower’s values and foster psychological safety across the organization. The program was led by Mower’s Senior VP of Talent Development Christine Dougherty in conjunction with Mower’s leadership coach-in-residence Michael Sgro, who serves as an onsite and virtual advisor for the agency.
Launched in February 2025, the initial six-month program brought together 12 participants forming six pairings. Unlike traditional top-down mentorship models, Mower Mentors emphasizes equity in relationships, with no designated “mentees.” Instead, every participant teaches, learns and leads, reflecting the agency’s belief that leadership can be practiced at all levels.
Participants were selected through self- or peer-nomination, then trained as mentors before being paired into small pods. The leadership-based mentorship program focused on relationship building over technical training, emphasizing experiential learning and emotional intelligence. At the conclusion of each cohort, participants nominate and train the next wave of mentors.
The impact of the program was deeply felt across participants:
“I appreciated how Mower Mentors focused on emotional intelligence and the Platinum Rule—meeting people where they are—to help us build stronger, more empathetic connections. The sessions around flexibility, promoting empowerment, and managing relationships really hit home, tying back to how our Mower Values show up in everyday situations. What I loved most was the open dialogue and genuine listening among everyone. It reminded me that at the heart of what we do, we’re all humans striving toward shared goals—just taking different paths to get there.” -JP Castaneda, Creative Director
“This program was a great chance to learn both about myself, and about my coworkers. We all have different learning and engagement styles, and it’s so helpful to understand them so we can be more effective when we collaborate. I also gained so much from intentionally connecting. I didn’t appreciate how much I missed those small interactions that we don’t get remotely, and I’m committed to maintaining those connections!” -Maggie Hooper, Account Director
“What a great program Mower Mentors was for our inaugural group of participants. I learned how to better leverage emotional intelligence to help guide my internal thinking and behavior to enhance professional and personal relationships by adjusting emotions and achieving individual and collective group goals.” –Jill Konopka, Senior Counselor, Public Affairs
“I loved how, unlike traditional mentorship or technical training programs, Mower Mentors peeled back rank to place relationships at the center. Having a space to talk openly about our DISC assessment insights gave me a blueprint for meeting different personalities with care, and the practice prepped me to amplify others’ voices in ways I hadn’t considered before. I’m excited to help grow a culture where relationship-building is an intentional agency-wide skill.” -Alana Gonzales, Senior Digital Strategist
“This program helped all of us take a more empathetic approach to collaborating with each other and our colleagues. It allowed us to not only learn about the characteristics of each DISC style, but also, and more importantly, how best to work with people who exhibit each style in order to treat them how they’d like to be treated. As someone who works with members of most departments in our agency, this is a crucial skillset.” -Muyinat Taiwo, Project Supervisor
I can finally tell the difference between actual conflict and a simple difference in how people see the world. Game changer. After years spent polishing my process, I’ve now learned that flexibility isn’t about abandoning what works. It’s about recognizing how different approaches come together to make the work even better. The most valuable thing I learned is that my natural style isn’t a limitation. It’s a strength that can become a superpower when combined with the strengths of my fellow Mowerites. I’m looking forward to seeing how this changes not just how I work, but how I can better show up for my team before we even start the work, no matter how big or small the challenge. –VJ Ortiz, Associate Creative Director
Tangible results have already emerged from the first program, including stronger cross-team connections, more open communication and a noticeable boost in trust, collaboration and role modeling of Mower’s values across the agency. With its inaugural cohort complete, Mower plans to launch the next round of Mower Mentors later this year with double the number of participants.