PAPERmaking! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY Volume 5, Number 1, 2019
Can Men Really Be Good Mentors to Women? Yes! Men in leadership roles are ideally positioned to strengthen the leadership pipeline in their organizations by helping to retain and advance talented women. Plus, mentoring and sponsoring others offers benefits to both parties. Research from our work with the Leaders’ Counsel found that leaders who mentor and advocate for others have:
x A stronger commitment to their organization; x An enhanced perception of their leadership by others; and x A greater sense of well-being, including increased job and personal satisfaction.
Through mentoring and sponsoring, our research also found you can and build and enhance your own networks, more quickly access job-related and organizational news, and become a better leader yourself. You also gain a chance to reflect upon and articulate your own expertise and experience — something you may not take time to do otherwise. Some men think they wouldn’t be good at mentoring someone who is different from them. Others have said they’re wary of perc eptions or misinterpretation of their work relationships with women. But if you’re a man who is hesitant to seriously mentor or sponsor a woman, don’t say no yet. Check out Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, a book by two men and take advantage of our free resources to help you get started mentoring or sponsoring. Take some time to learn how you can make a difference to the talented women around you — and help your organization thrive. What Are You Waiting For? Ideally, women would have the mentors they need to help them navigate their careers, and senior leaders would see their skills and potential and enthusiastically sponsor them. But, since this isn’t happening by default in most organizations, there’s a leaky pipeline of talent. What can be done? Establishing a mentoring or sponsoring relationship may not be easy to do. It can feel a bit awkward and confusing to get started, but it doesn’t have to be. We offer our free mentoring resources for aspiring women leaders, potential mentors and sponsors, and HR executives, including:
Article 10 – Women and Leadership
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