Having the right mentor has the potential to transform your career. A mentor can help you make difficult decisions, analyse situations, provide invaluable advice, and send you on a trajectory you might never have thought possible.
This is especially true for women. Many women who enter professions don’t progress to senior leadership positions – a phenomenon known as the leaky pipeline.
Having a mentor or sponsor to provide guidance can encourage career development and assist organisations with talent retention.
Having a mentor allows women to understand how female role models in senior positions can manage their obligations and succeed at work while juggling personal responsibilities.
Mentorships can help keep us connected. They can also benefit the mentor, giving them an opportunity to gain a fresh perspective.
While many companies run mentorship programmes for employees, are these worthwhile, or is it better to develop your own mentoring relationship?
Adele Bekker, head of career services at GIBS, says it is up to individuals to create mentorship relationships: “You can’t force people – they need to find their own mentors.”
Informal mentoring is more personal, allows in-depth, authentic conversations and can often be more useful than the benefits gained from formal mentorship programmes.
Bekker believes mentoring should start at the beginning of one’s career. She advises mentors and mentees to meet monthly and have a formal confidentiality agreement.
“The onus is on the mentee to set an agenda for the meeting. There needs to be commitment and skin in the game, or it is just a coffee chat.”
Elise McCabe, a career coach at Career Management Consulting, says that while coaches and mentors are often given to senior leaders, there is a growing realisation that young people also need to be equipped with skills.
Different mentoring processes require different strategies, benchmarks and goals. Informal mentoring has very little structure and is based on the relationship of the two partners involved.
Often, these develop into a long-term friendship, with no specific goals or timelines and often only indirectly benefit the organisation.
Organisations benefit from formal programmes that are structured, based on business objectives and which are measurable.
Gender and mentorship – does it actually matter?
Is it better to be mentored by an experienced senior executive or someone of the same gender who may have encountered similar obstacles to you during their career?
It can still be relatively difficult to find a female mentor in a senior leadership role. According to Bloomberg, women held only 29% of the board seats in the top 100 listed companies in South Africa as of April 2021.
Identifying a mentor is a very personal choice. There must be a trust factor, and you have to be comfortable with their advice.
Networking events are a good place to identify potential mentors
Current and past bosses, former colleagues and experts in your field can all be potential mentors.
A mentor doesn’t have to occupy an executive position – sometimes an individual a few years ahead of you in their career can offer practical and relevant advice.
If you want to pursue a career change and enter a new field, find someone who has undergone a similar journey, McCabe advises.
An effective mentor is someone you can confide in and who has a mutual desire for your personal and professional growth.
Becoming a mentor
Being a mentor is a discipline. Mentors must realise the relationship is a dynamic one, and they could potentially end up being mentored by their mentees.
“Identify a niche you would like to help out in and realise that not everyone is equipped to be a mentor,” McCabe advises.
What’s the difference?
A mentor focuses on helping you navigate your career, identifying your strengths, and working through challenges. They act as your cheerleader and guide and help you to navigate difficult situations.
A sponsor is an influential leader who actively works to highlight your work and helps you access opportunities and promotions. While mentors tend to coach and advise, sponsors take on a more active role.
A coach provides a combination of coaching, mentorship, and advice. Whereas a mentoring relationship offers guidance, coaching helps people to find the answers within themselves by directing and giving tools and tips.
