The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far more negative impact on working women than men. Women have disproportionately lost jobs, disproportionately reduced their work hours, and disproportionately increased the time they spend on child care and household responsibilities. As Claudia Goldin, Professor of Economics at Harvard, has observed, “the [gender] inequalities that existed before the pandemic are now on steroids.”
Women need help, especially those just starting their careers or changing careers. One valuable source of help is strong, effective mentors. Mentors can provide a great deal of help in guiding women through the new and unprecedented challenges they confront.
Recognizing the value of mentoring, many companies have established robust formal programs to pair junior employees with more senior managers. They recognize that effective mentoring relationships help junior employees develop leadership skills, increase self-confidence, improve emotional intelligence, and navigate gender-specific obstacles to career advancement. When senior managers—both women and men—are available on a one-to-one basis to regularly listen to younger women’s questions and concerns and to share their experiences and insights, women are more satisfied at work and more likely to have successful careers. Indeed, 25 percent of employees who participated in a mentoring program had a salary-grade change, compared to only 5 percent of the workers who did not participate.
Companies with formal mentorship programs also recognize that mentoring is not a one-way street. It benefits mentors as well as mentees. Mentors can improve their leadership skills while they are giving back by helping the next generation adjust and thrive in their careers and personal lives. One study found that 87 percent of mentors and mentees feel empowered by the relationship and reported greater confidence and career satisfaction. And, it turns out that mentees and mentors are both promoted far more often (5 times and 6 times, respectively) than those employees without mentors.
Companies with formal mentorship programs also benefit, which explains why 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer such programs. For these companies, mentorship programs provide an effective way to assure job-relevant knowledge is passed on to new hires, style and attitudinal differences between generations are bridged, and employee retention is increased.
Mentorship programs also promote diversity, which has been found to improve team morale and the bottom line. Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations found that mentoring programs boosted minority representation at the management level by 9 to 24 percent (when compared to a -2 percent to 18 percent boost with other types of diversity initiatives). The same study also found that mentoring programs dramatically improved promotion and retention rates for minorities and women—15 to 38 percent as compared to non-mentored employees.
As we come out of the pandemic that has created working conditions unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes, young women with a mentor have a very valuable leg up on those who don’t have a mentor. The problem, of course, is that many women work at companies without formal mentorship programs, are in entrepreneurial roles without senior people to serve as mentors, or they lack access to senior people with whom they can establish a mentoring relationship.
People don’t need to be limited to one mentor. It is entirely possible to have multiple mentors with different skill sets and life experiences. In fact, I have found that the very best mentorship relationships develop organically. You don’t need to go out and ask people directly to serve as your mentor but you can watch the relationship grow with proper care and feeding.
Even if your company offers a formal mentorship program, it can be beneficial to have a mentor outside of your company and, frequently, outside of your industry. Many clubs, groups, and trade associations offer mentorship programs that help women advance in their careers. Another source for obtaining a mentor is through WLMA, the Women’s Leadership and Mentor Alliance. At the date of this writing, WLMA is rolling out its 2021 mentoring program. WLMA pairs mentors and mentees across industries and professions. The WLMA program is done remotely and it is open to women wherever they are located and at all stages of their careers. Based on the information provided to WLMA in a detailed questionnaire, mentees are then paired with mentors with similar interests, availability, and objectives. While the WLMA program lasts six months, it has fostered many long-term relationships.
For women in the early stages of their careers or making a career transition, an experienced senior mentor (whether formal or informal) can be of enormous benefit. The opportunity to discuss candidly and confidentially concerns, difficulties, and aspirations with an empathetic experienced person makes a profound difference in women’s career trajectories. While it is not a mentor’s job to directly promote a mentee’s career, mentors with deep career experience and keen people skills can make a world of difference in how mentees see their careers, the obstacles they face, and effective ways to deal with other people.
For a mentoring relationship to be truly successful, mentees must be committed to the process, make a sincere effort to accurately convey to their mentors their situations and aspirations, and carefully evaluate the advice they receive. Mentees need to honestly let their mentors know if the relationship is working for them and if it isn’t, what needs to change. Mentees must also maintain a positive mindset and recognize that their mentors will be most engaged and helpful if they are enthusiastic, forthright, and engaged in the process.
The best mentors are good listeners, good questioners, and good strategic thinkers. Poor mentors think they know all the answers and respond to any issue with specific advice as to how their mentee should behave. Good mentors know their limitations and are frank about them, but they also know how to reach out to others who may be better suited to deal with a particular issue faced by the mentee. Mentoring is a cooperative partnership that works best if there is candor and honesty on both sides. Mentors should be cheerleaders for their mentees—providing encouragement, reassurance, and positive suggestions.
One way or another, all women should get involved in a mentoring relationship—as mentors, mentees, or both.
