mentHERship PROGRAM FRAMEWORK | BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION The mentHERship project team consists of a diverse group of professionals, with a wide range of careers and experience spanning 1.5 to 18 years in the AEC industry. We built upon ‘mentHER,’ a project from the 2021 ElevateHER® cohort, and set this program up so that the next group will be able to finalize and implement the program. MISSION mentHERship is a program designed to address the lack of accessible mentorship opportunities in the AEC industry by facilitating intentional and personalized matches. Our proposed mentorship program addresses some of the key issues with mentorship within the AEC industry: 1. FINDING MENTORS OUTSIDE OF THE INDIVIDUAL’S COMPANY There is significant value in having a mentor who is a neutral third party, and can provide perspective and insight outside of an individual’s organization. This also prevents mentors from having direct input on an individual’s performance or compensation, and allows the mentee to speak freely and seek unbiased advice. Access to a mentor may also be limited by the size of a company - there simply may not be a mentor available. 2. EXPANDING NETWORK BEYOND LOCAL MENTORS When seeking mentors outside of the individual’s own organization, we understand that poaching is a real concern for companies. We wanted to develop a program that broadened the geographical boundaries and allowed participants to form mentor-mentee relationships with people outside of their local network. 3. DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS OF MENTORS TO BREAK DOWN SILOS There are a wide variety of careers, backgrounds, and experiences present in AEC industry professionals. This program will aim to pair people based on compatibility, not just similar career paths, because we feel that different perspectives can lead to broadened horizons. 4. CLEAR EXPECTATIONS OF THE TIME COMMITMENT So many mentorship relationships fall apart not long after beginning. To ensure the success of this program, we want to set clear, manageable guidelines so that both parties know what is expected of them. We've created a condensed program schedule to help maintain engagement of the participants.
Mentorship can increase minority representation at the management level by up to
24%
Mentorship can increase retention of women and minorities by up to
38%
HOWEVER
63%
OF WOMEN HAVE NEVER HAD A FORMAL MENTOR.
mentHERship
PROGRAM FRAMEWORK | PROGRAM OVERVIEW
MENTOR AND MENTEE MATCHING
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
MENTOR AND MENTEE PAIRS ARE CREATED BASED ON A MATCHING SURVEY . THIS SURVEY COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS, INCLUDING:
6 MONTH DURATION (IDEALLY JAN - JUNE)
1:1 MEETINGS:
Pairs meet once every month. Mentee schedules these meetings. Discussion topics and questions provided to help spark conversation and create successful check-ins.
Program goals Professional goals (skills & certifications) Desired career path Favorite part of their job Hobbies outside of work Years of service
GROUP MEETINGS:
Three meetings – start, middle, and end of program. Opportunity for networking outside of the mentor/mentee pairs. Random breakout rooms with discussion questions provided. These networking opportunities may be an additional incentive for mentors to join the program.
MENTOR TRAINING & PREPARATION
ONLINE RESOURCES TO HELP MENTORS BE SUCCESSFUL:
14 Tips for First Time Mentors How to Connect with Anyone How to Become an Active Listener The Art of Delivering Constructive Feedback
MENTORS AND MENTEES WILL SIGN COMMITMENT LETTERS AT THE START OF THE PROGRAM.
Access the mentor resouces here.
mentHERship PROGRAM FRAMEWORK | NEXT STEPS
MENTORSHIP & EMPLOYEE RETENTION
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
A RECENT SURVEY SHOWS: MORE THAN 90%
BECOME A MENTOR
FIND A MENTOR
of employees with a mentor were happy with their jobs.
Please understand that the program is still under development. You will be contacted via email when the program begins.
Employees who received mentoring were promoted 5 times more than those who didn't have mentors. Mentoring reduced anxiety and improved mental health for both mentors and mentees.
PROGRAM MANAGER
NEXT STEPS:
1. 2.
Create participant commitment letter. Develop discussion questions for six one-on-one mentor/mentee meetings and three group meetings. Advertise program at professional organizations.
3.
mentHERship ELEVATEHER 2023 | TEAM MEMBERS
AMY KUNSELMAN
ANDREA NARENDORF
CARMEN PAMSLER
JESSICA BAZAN
LALITHA BENJARAM
SHELBY HARVEY
STEPHANIE PUTZKE
Our team shares a passion for building the type of mentorship program each of us wish we had had access to during our career, and would be excited to participate in in the future.
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