Women rarely get mentored in the workplace as men do. This is a proven fact. Research done on women leaders have shown that women are not mentored. When I conducted my research study on women’s leadership, this fact was again confirmed.
Even other women have not stepped up to the task of taking another woman under her wings for mentoring at the rate that is needed. There could be many reasons for this:
- Not having been mentored means not having the skills to know how to mentor others.
- A lack of mentoring means having to struggle hard to keep up with what’s going on. That could mean being too stressed or stretched to be able to take time to mentor.
- Not having mentoring could mean developing a mindset of lack, feeling that there is only so much to share and why share what you struggled to learn with someone else.
- Not realizing there are many ways to mentor others. Women have unique styles of leadership that can result in the ability to be a mentor to others. Using uniquely feminine style of leadership can provide mentoring without having to resort to power struggles often associated with moving up in the workplace.
When you started your business or took on the role of leader you probably had someone in your life that inspired you. That person may have guided and helped you learn some of the skills you needed along the way. They may have told you about mistakes they had made in order to prevent you from doing the same, or given you advice on steps you could take to improve yourself. That person served as a mentor. You can pay that act of kindness forward and grow your leadership reputation at the same time by acting as a mentor to someone else.
This article is true and as a women’s leader I am naturally looked up to as a mentor.
However, how do i approach mentoring in a structured way instead of informally – which is what i have done till now?
Also for business mentoring, can you advise on becoming a formal business mentor.
Hi Sarah,
You’re right that when you step up to leadership many people automatically see you as a mentor. That means everything you do, every word, every action, has to be of high value. It’s easy for a leader to lose the confidence of followers by doing or saying something that disappoints. To approach mentoring in a structured way, you have to be consistent in working with mentees. Give others time to be with you, even if that’s only once every few months or so. With some people it might be more often. There are many ways to mentor others on a formal basis; the main thing is to be there and available. And remember, you can’t be a personal mentor to everyone. Pray about who God brings into your life to learn from you.
Blessings,
Consuelo