There have been so many people along my journey that have mentored me. Whether they were former mentors, sponsors, advocates, or champions for me, they taught me things that I think if I look at a theme, it was how to embrace your authentic self and to do it in a way that allowed my leadership to shine through.
With a lack of self-awareness and a support network forming the top derailers in an executive's career, mentorship is a sound way to build a relationship that engages and elevates your skillset and also builds your competency as a leader.
Our conversation on the relevance of mentorship with our pool of inspiring women leaders resulted in a positive response. While a few had not been mentored or coached through their career trajectory, most had.
Have you had a mentor/coach?
Yes
71.6%
No
28.4%
Were your mentor(s) male/female?
Male
42.9%
Female
12.2%
Both
44.9%
Others
2%
I always recommend this for our early leaders. Try to identify someone and shamelessly seek advice. It's perfectly okay. There are a lot of women and a lot of leaders who are willing to help. You just need to be shameless in asking for advice.
Nalini George
Board Member and Chief People Officer, Rakuten India
Mentorship is available in two formats. One could be a more formal program that is mandated or available in your organization. They pair you or recommend the right mentor for you.
The other is to find a support group anywhere and everywhere. Your mentor doesn't necessarily have to be a leader from your company. They could be a colleague, a family member, a friend–someone outside your industry. You must find someone you can resonate with over a long term and then set a cadence you are both comfortable with to host your conversations.
It is beneficial to create this inner circle of support and then concentric rings of people who will push you and help you develop the functional and technical skills you require for your expertise while also focusing on a mentor or group of mentors around you more often. Some respondents also recommended the benefits of having multiple male and female mentors.
First of all, I think for women to mentor other women is absolutely critical. I think they just relate to the challenges that the mentees are facing; the mentees are able to hear real case studies from women. I think there's just a different level of empathy that women bring as mentors for mentees, so I think it inspires a lot of confidence and belief.
Secondly, and most importantly, I believe that women cannot progress without the involvement and support of the balance of 50% men. My husband is my strongest mentor. My bosses at all my companies, I was lucky that I had very strong mentors in them. I honestly don't think I would have progressed without their support and push.
Men do make the strongest of mentors and really can help women believe in their potential. The push that men can provide really can egg women on. I think both have a big role to play for the progress of women.
Hina Nagarajan
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Diageo India
Organizations such as Voya have also introduced programs around reverse mentoring–a method to recognize the diverse mentors who can work together with leaders offering a holistic global perspective.
Reverse mentoring is all about making us better leaders.
Christine Hurtsellers
Chief Executive Officer, Voya
Having a mentor helps you gain competencies through their leadership experience that you can utilize on your journey to the corner office. One of the most commonly developed competencies is navigating politics and company dynamics — particularly as aspiring women leaders move forward in their career trajectory.
Creating a good leadership style, building self-awareness and resilience, and developing relevant skills are the top five competencies' mentors help mentees develop throughout their professional lives.
What competencies did your mentor help you develop?
We also looked at the management skills that define great leaders – with and without a mentor. While the findings identified similar skills, the priority of order offered additional insight.
Management skills that define a great leader – with and without a mentor
Collaborating with and developing people and teams, problem-solving/critical thinking, and having a strategic vision are the top skills defining a great leader. However, some respondents who did not get mentored or were not coached also added equal importance to aligning business objectives with customer value.
WHAT TO DO WHEN IT GETS LONELY AT THE TOP?
It can be a lonely place at the top. So, work out who your trusted partners, trusted allies are, as you make your way to the corner office.
Lesley Salmon
Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, Kellogg Company
As you begin your climb up the value chain, you should surround yourself with people who keep you grounded and not let you develop the sense of entitlement that accompanies a seat in the corner office. Building such relationships help you to:
Understand your shortcomings
Accept your learnings
Better your experience
It also helps eliminate any unconscious bias from the process and offers a balanced view on the decisions you may or may not make as a leader. Remember who and what got you to the top because as you move up further on the value chain, you will find fewer people telling you that you're not doing a great job. So, keeping a check on yourself, when no one else is, is also a skillset one must develop on your way up the ladder.
