The Journey of @ADPList: How a Google Sheet Changed Mentorship | ft. Felix Lee | @DesignSundays
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful discussion, Felix Lee, founder of ADP List, shares his journey from a simple Excel sheet to raising $1.3 million for mentorship. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship in personal and professional growth, highlighting how it accelerates learning by learning from others' experiences. Lee stresses the value of both one-time and long-term mentorship relationships and offers practical advice on building trust with mentors through preparation and consistent follow-ups.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Mentorship is crucial for personal and professional growth, providing guidance and helping individuals avoid common mistakes.
- 📈 ADPList started as a simple Google spreadsheet and evolved into a platform that connects mentors and mentees worldwide.
- 💡 The initial idea of ADPList was born during the pandemic to support those who were losing jobs or seeking career guidance.
- 🌐 The platform's success is attributed to its global accessibility, allowing anyone to connect with top mentors regardless of their location.
- 🔑 Key to a successful mentorship relationship is effective people management, setting the right expectations, and respecting individual circumstances.
- 🤝 The value of mentorship lies in learning from others' experiences to accelerate one's own learning and development.
- 📚 Books and mentors serve as浓缩 lifetimes of knowledge into accessible formats, allowing for rapid learning and growth.
- 🔄 Having both one-time and long-term mentors is beneficial, with the former for specific questions and the latter for ongoing guidance.
- 🤔 It's important to prepare questions and goals before a mentorship session to ensure it's productive and focused.
- 📝 Consistent follow-up with mentors is essential for maintaining a fruitful relationship and showing commitment to personal growth.
- 🌱 ADPList's growth has been driven by a focus on solving real problems and understanding the nuances of people's needs in different regions.
Q & A
What was the inspiration behind starting ADP List?
-Felix Lee started ADP List during the pandemic in 2020 with the intention of helping people who were losing their jobs or looking for support. As a designer, he focused on solving problems and initially created a simple Google spreadsheet that was publicly accessible for people to add their names if they were looking for a job or offering mentorship.
How did ADP List transition from a spreadsheet to a full-fledged platform?
-In 2021, Felix and his co-founder James decided to transform the spreadsheet into a proper website to better facilitate the growing community. This transition marked the beginning of ADP List as a platform dedicated to mentorship.
What was the turning point for ADP List to become a 'mass revolution'?
-There wasn't a single moment of realization, but rather a series of reflections on the potential of the platform. Felix felt humbled and believed that while the idea was simple, no one had done such a significant revolution before, and they aimed to make a global impact.
What are the key learnings Felix has had while building ADP List?
-Felix learned that most challenges and lessons revolve around people management, including hiring the right people and setting the right expectations. He emphasized the importance of being present, respectful, and humble when interacting with team members and partners.
How does mentorship help in personal and professional growth?
-Mentorship helps by providing guidance to avoid mistakes and learn from the experiences of others. It accelerates learning and perspective, allowing individuals to extend their knowledge and time for growth.
What is the significance of having a single mentor versus multiple mentors?
-Felix suggests that having multiple mentors is beneficial as it allows individuals to get different perspectives and expertise. However, it's also important to have a few long-term mentors for ongoing guidance on various issues.
How can one determine if a mentor is a good fit for them?
-One should start with a one-time meeting to see if there's a connection and if the mentor's expertise aligns with their needs. It's important to evaluate if the mentor can provide the necessary guidance and if the relationship is mutually beneficial.
What are the two key secrets to building a strong mentorship relationship?
-The two key secrets are being prepared before the session by having clear questions and goals, and consistently following up with updates after the session. These practices help to establish trust and make the relationship more fruitful.
How does ADP List facilitate one-time versus long-term mentorship?
-ADP List allows individuals to meet multiple mentors and decide after the initial meeting if they want to continue with one or more of them long-term. It provides a platform for both one-time sessions for specific questions and long-term mentorship for ongoing support.
What is the role of preparation and follow-up in a mentorship relationship?
-Preparation ensures that the mentee comes to the meeting with clear objectives and questions, making the session more productive. Consistent follow-ups demonstrate respect for the mentor's time and help in building a relationship of trust.
How does mentorship on ADP List differ from traditional mentorship?
-ADP List offers a platform that connects mentors and mentees globally, making mentorship accessible regardless of location. It also provides flexibility for both one-time and long-term mentorship relationships.
Outlines
🚀 Starting ADP List: A Mentorship Revolution
Felix Lee, the founder of ADP List, shares the story of how the platform began during the pandemic in 2020. Initially, it was a simple Google spreadsheet for people to list themselves as either seeking jobs or offering mentorship. The idea grew, and by January 2021, it had evolved into a full-fledged website. The platform aims to democratize mentorship by connecting individuals worldwide with top mentors and practitioners. The discussion also touches on the importance of mentorship, how to approach a mentor, and the value of such relationships.
🌟 The Power of Mentorship and Learning
Felix emphasizes the importance of mentorship in personal and professional growth. He discusses how mentorship can help individuals avoid repeating others' mistakes and learn from their experiences. The conversation highlights the value of having both one-time and long-term mentors, depending on the individual's goals and needs. The key takeaway is that mentorship accelerates learning and broadens perspectives, regardless of one's career level.
🤝 Building Trust and Effective Mentorship Relationships
The discussion turns to the dynamics of mentorship relationships. Felix advises that the foundation of a strong mentorship relationship is preparation and consistency in follow-up. He stresses the importance of being prepared with clear questions and goals before a mentorship session and maintaining regular updates with mentors to build trust and ensure a fruitful relationship.
🌐 Global Impact and the Future of ADP List
The conversation concludes with a look towards the future of ADP List and its potential global impact. Felix shares his excitement about the platform's growth and the community it has built. He also reflects on his role as a mentor and the importance of giving back to the community. The discussion wraps up with a call to action for viewers to engage with ADP List and support its mission to make mentorship accessible to all.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mentorship
💡Accessibility
💡MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
💡Fundraising
💡People Management
💡Expectations Management
💡Networking
💡Global Reach
💡Problem Solving
💡Leadership
💡Long-term vs. One-time Mentorship
Highlights
AWS revolutionized mentorship accessibility.
Felix Lee founded ADP List to democratize mentorship.
ADP List started with a simple Excel sheet during the pandemic to help job seekers.
The platform evolved into a website in January 2021.
Felix aimed to create a global mentorship platform, not limited to Singapore.
People management is central to the success of ADP List.
Leadership involves assuming everyone has personal challenges.
Mentorship is about learning from others' mistakes and experiences.
Mentorship accelerates learning and perspective regardless of career level.
Books and mentors are valuable for compressing lifetimes of knowledge.
The importance of both one-time and long-term mentorship.
One-time mentorship is essential for initial connection and assessment.
Long-term mentorship is built on mutual agreement and progress updates.
The necessity of preparation and consistent follow-up in mentorship relationships.
Being prepared and following up are key to a fruitful mentorship.
Felix actively mentors on ADP List, embodying the platform's mission.
Transcripts
AWS started a revolution to make
mentorship accessible to all and we all
have experienced the kind of impact they
have been able to make in last few years
by providing the opportunities to
connect with top mentors and
practitioners from all over the world
and you can be anywhere in the world and
you can access them in this video I'm
talking to Felix Lee the founder of ADP
list if we talk about how he went from a
bare minimum Excel sheet to raising 1.3
million dollars to support this
mentorship for all Mission we also talk
about what are the right ways of
reaching out to a mentor how to get the
most amount of value from a mentor
mentee relationship and a whole lot more
this video is powered by how to figma
course the most comprehensive guide to
learning figma and creating beautiful
apps and website but more on the course
later
[Music]
tell us more about how you started with
the idea of ADP list and when did you
realize like you know this is turning
into a mass Revolution yeah for sure
thank you so much Rohan um you know
whenever people talk about ADP is I
always feel extremely humble and
grateful and you know we started this in
2020 and it was the middle of the
pandemic and I remember back then right
off Army I had my first job and you know
it was in 2020 May and you know my
thought was just to help people you know
during the pandemic who were losing
their jobs who are looking for help
support and for me you know I I'm a
designer and I just focus a lot on
solving problems and you know I couldn't
quote like very complex website and so
what I did was a to create a very simple
Google spreadsheet that was accessible
by anyone a public spreadsheet and you
could add your name inside if you're
looking for a job or you could if you're
looking to support people through
mentorship you could also put your name
inside out there and and you know as
things grow James which is my co-founder
joined in and in 2021 January we decided
to put it in the website uh a proper
website and uh you know like to a
question you know how when did I
discover that you know this was a
revolution I I guess there wasn't a
single moment but you know it was a lot
of like thinking that you know what
could this become and I think there's a
lot of times where we sort of like ask
ourselves like you know probably someone
else would have done this you know uh
probably it's a very simple idea people
would have you know sort of like done it
as well but I think that you know the
sort of like on the other side of that
is to really say uh think that you know
there's actually no one that has you
know done such a big revolution before
and we wanted to do something different
we wanted to do something you know truly
truly you know different and big for the
world uh globally not just here in
Singapore but also in the US India and
wherever where we are and so that was
when we decided to you know take it full
time uh from a very simple spreadsheet
to something that is bigger than what it
is yeah this is something that I
realized like you know we designers talk
about a lot being a problem solver and I
I remember like you know there were like
you know three tabs in that sheet if you
are looking for a job if you're hiring
and if you just want to provide
mentorship right so I think at that
point of time slowly you guys built a
platform and like you know we talk about
doing MVPs and I think that sheet was
the MVP but let's jump slide like you
know slightly more into it so in the
experience of moving from that what what
are the parts that you have enjoyed the
most and what are a few key learnings
that you have had along the way yeah I I
think that ADP is study something is not
like you know easy obviously I think
everyone sort of like knows that but
it's a little bit harder than anyone who
expects I think it definitely hasn't
been like a straight line you know
um I think people would say that hey how
did adps grow so fast just within one
year you know around the world and the
truth is that there's so much things
that goes on you know behind the scenes
that I think it's just not seen by the
public and you know always sort of like
humbles me as a leader there's so much
that you can learn now one of the things
that I've learned you know through the
past year um really is that a lot of the
problems that I've went through the
challenges and then the lessons that
I've learned has always revolved around
people whether it be people management
expectations management you know it has
always been around you know people in
general I think you know some Founders
or some people might say hey so what
about a product you know what about the
growth stuff what about the marketing
stuff and things like that but I think
all these you know there's a fundamental
truth to that is your team your partners
the people that you work with those are
the most important things and I think
that you know I can tell you to be
honest like 99 of my problem every
single day and week comes from people it
doesn't matter the product it doesn't
matter whatever every single thing dive
down to the problem are you hiring the
right people how are you setting the
right expectations you know how are you
managing those expectations right as
long as you are really good with all
these things with people with whatever
that's in between things naturally flow
right but unfortunately no one is
perfect you know no one can handle that
perfectly you know there are so many
people that we work with on a day-to-day
basis whether it be internal employees
or partners and one of the things that I
that I've already learned is that I
think you know as leader you know we
walk into a room I always like to assume
that you know everyone else has
something going on in their life I would
like to assume for the worst most of the
time you know um obviously if someone is
happy that's great but most of the time
I want to walk into the room assume that
you know someone is going through
something at a point of that like life
and I want to make sure that when I
speak and when I'm there I'm present
with respect with humility with
gratitude and to really go into the room
and really understand where this person
is coming from you know quite frankly
not a lot of people are good
storytellers so they can't tell you
their stories they can't communicate
that you but I think as a leader you
need to walk into the room with humility
with gratitude to listen but most
importantly to also Ensure that you know
what gets done expectations get set as
well so for me you know that's the big
thing that I've learned you know as a
leader is that a lot of problems would
come into you know will come to play
um from a perspective of the people
rather than the things that are more
quantifiable well that's that's like you
know I I think
um as you summarized the paid and and
the joy both a very like you know crispy
and I'll I'll just mention that you know
when you're working with people when
you're building something you have to
eventually work with people and you
can't do all on your own and like you
know caring for them that you know is
everything all right with them but still
getting the work done still setting that
expectation it's super important like
you have to like you know the work can't
be lagging behind but you have to still
care and I I generally think that that
sums it out uh thank you Felix and let's
get a little bit into the mentorship and
the the whole thing that you're trying
to solve so let's start with something
very some simple but I think most people
just feel that it's a networking thing
but according to you why are uh like you
know mentors important or how can
mentorship help someone grow yeah for
sure speaking from personal experience
when you know when I was like growing up
you know uh from a student and stepping
into industry there's so much things
that I think we just don't know in
Germany I think you know we we sort of
think think that you know
um we we there's so much things around
the world that we just have no Clarity
on have no answers to and you know we
kind of wish that you know the railroad
is a lot like like a school you know
there's textbook there's answers and
there's ways to do things but the thing
is that the truth is that you don't you
don't know all this right and there's no
answers to that and one of the things is
you know we hear a lot is that you know
it would be we hear a lot so too often
that you know I kind of wish someone had
told me that when I was younger right I
kind of wish someone had told me that
when I started my career right what
should I do what should I look out for
and stuff like that and I think
mentorship is really about that you know
it's not really just about being or
starting in a career but it's really
simply about you know how can we sort of
like avoid the mistakes or rather like
learn from the mistakes of others right
and then you know grow from there and
for me that that that simple Mantra is
the most important thing right um we
have all of us have 24 hours and seven
days we have 365 days and I can assure
you that none of us are smart enough to
learn everything in our lifetime none of
us you are in India and today I'm in
Singapore what you learn in India is
what you know I might learn differently
here in Singapore and if I do not get on
a call to speak with you and to learn
with you you know to be honest then I'm
never able going to learn what you have
learned and I see that mentorship at all
levels whether you whether it be you're
an entry level or you're a director it's
the same you know it helps to accelerate
your perspective it helps to accelerate
your learning because it's almost like
you only have limited time but when you
speak to someone when you speak to
someone you extend that level of
knowledge you extend that time where you
can learn as well from people absolutely
and
um I think the the way you have put it
it's very amazing this connects with
something that I'll keep saying like you
know people ask me like you know why do
you buy like you know tens and twenties
and 30s of book every week and my simple
reason is like you know someone has
lived their life someone has spent 30
years on on this planet and they have
literally summarized this into or 200
Pages book yeah what else do you want
and you can literally buy it like you
know it's it's books are like you know I
I feel it's so much knowledge like you
know journey of a lifetime uh and and
convert it into a very small nugget and
and I rightly think the same about the
mentor you can you can actually struggle
10 years to learn the same lesson and
which you can get on a call 30 minutes
on ADP list and so guys if you haven't
already do check out
8dpls.org these guys have have done some
amazing work but like you know more so
let's talk a little bit about according
to you uh Felix do you think it's it's
like you know it's it's good to have a
single go to Mentor or multiple mentors
be like you know based on concerns yeah
I think this is a great great question
and I think I want to obviously you know
um address that as well you know I think
one of the key things about one-time
mentorship and the long-term mentorship
is really dependent and I'll tell you
what what that means right uh and if
anyone is really in the in a chat and
the YouTube you know I see a lot of
comments so please invite your friends
as well here I think it's an important
conversation you know there has been a
lot of talks around one-time mentorship
and it feels almost like a networking
session and then people don't find
meaning out of it but I'll give a
perspective you know if today I walk in
a meeting expecting that this person is
going to be a long term but the question
is this right what if I just don't don't
fill it with that Mentor or that mentee
right what if I just don't connect with
them I think it's impossible to go into
a long-term relationship without first a
one-off meeting right you know because
if you if you do not have that one-off
meeting you will never know if you are
able to really connect with this person
and I think a long-term relationship is
mutual right you know both person has to
agree it's not just a mentor or it's not
just a member or the mentee both person
have to say yes I want to continue to
see your progress I want to continue to
update you on my progress and I think
it's important for us to understand that
without the one-off the long term it can
never happen right today you go on ADP
list you might meet 10 mentors let's
just say 10 different mentors and
perhaps eight of them are like a good
one-time session and you want to
continue only with two of them that's
fine right and so for me it's always
that to have a long term that is always
a sort of like a short-term involved at
the start you know and then you progress
from there but I always also encourage
people to have a couple of long-term
mentors where you go to for for for
different issues now at the same time at
the same time you know the there is a
benefit to having some one-off coffee
chat right that's one time you know
which is hey look if I just need to
clarify some things in design research I
do not need someone in design research
for the long term because that's not my
expertise I can go to a design research
Mentor I can have my questions prepared
just for one session and that's it right
I let the men don't know hey this is a
question this is where I am at well I'll
be happy to you know update you but you
know uh this is more of a one-off
session right and I think that Mutual
understanding is important because
sometimes you just have a clarification
for a certain point in your career and
doesn't require you to be long term and
I think both are fine as well you know
it really depends on what is your goal
and then what you're learning as well so
yeah that's my that's that's my
perspective on the one time versus long
term I also have the very same feeling
that if you so like you know I I'll say
that you don't decide first what what is
your goal right and for like you know
you to have multiple those sessions or
to have a long-term relationship with
someone or a mentor right you have to
see him for the first time and then
decide you know do you want to see them
for the second time you can't go in like
you know I want mentorship they might be
great at what they do and at the same
time not a very good Mentor and that is
something you have to evaluate over time
and see like you know if that works out
and as like you know Felix mentioned you
have to see like you know the problem
that you're facing is more of a one-time
thing or a long-term goal based thing
and if it's a one-time just like go
straight in be nice to them not like you
know just stepped in and start asking
them questions questions be nice to them
but ask them your specific questions say
thank you and that's that's the way to
go out but like you know we we talked
about having that first connect with the
better and then taking a call over the
long term that if if you want to stay
connected with them or not so how can
someone build a relationship of trust
with their mentor and and make it a more
fruitful relationship in the first place
I think this is you know like which is
actually a very simple question and but
I think it's very very powerful I would
sum it up in two different ways to do
that actually
um the first one is really about you
know the first one is really about being
prepared you know preparing your
questions
um ahead of time preparing your goals
ahead of time I think that is one of the
key things to you know have a really
good Mentor relationship or a mental
relationship is that you know you
prepare your questions what you want to
do in that session way before time so by
preparation is the first step right to a
great relationship to a great mentorship
relationship now the second thing is
being consistent with your updates and
stuff like that I think a lot of people
think that you know they just go for
one-off and whatever or they just come
and go as and when they like but being
prepared is the first part to a great
relationship the second one is really
about you know um keeping the updates
consistent you know you don't want to go
into a meeting and meet a lot of people
but you know you don't share any updates
of your progress right you want to
constantly update your mentors the
people that you've met you know whether
it be as a mentor or a mentee you want
to share updates right if you're live
you know with what's going on in a
career and if you ask me what's the real
secret if all of you can write down on
this video here today and tell your
friends tell publicly to eat whatever
write a LinkedIn post it's just two
things being prepared before the session
happened and the follow-up being
consistent with the follow-up these are
the two biggest secrets that will really
accelerate your learning and your
relationships with literally anyone with
anyone in the world these are the
biggest two things that we've observed
and I have personally used as well so
guys for those two things in the chat so
being prepared and following up with the
mentor the these are the two things uh
like you know the person who is actually
making sure these all things happen
through the thousands of conversation
and I know him to be a person who uh
like you know who mentors till date on
the platform as well not just like you
know he has created the platform he he
mentors people as well and I think this
is super powerful having that meeting is
one thing but making them invest in your
journey by like you know uh preparing by
uh following up with them it actually
makes a difference so thank you so much
Felix thank you so much man I I think
that where we left last time this
conversation literally picks the same uh
energy up and thank you so much for
giving us those tidbits those like you
know actionable insights and the
principles of how do we go about
mentoring how do students go about
mentoring how do mentors go about
mentoring and we all are super excited
to see like you know what ADP the list
does next and always like you know
supporting rooting for you guys to
create something wonderful thank you
thank you so much appreciate it awesome
messages
[Applause]
do check it out I'll see you inside the
course
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