Everyone could use a bit of help in their career. Even music legend Ella Fitzgerald. Despite Ella’s talent and popularity as a jazz singer in the 1940s, racial barriers and her looks held back her career.
Until Marilyn Monroe became a fan and stepped in. She advocated on Ella’s behalf, to perform at a prestigious L.A. nightclub, and brought her own presence and star power to Ella’s show every night, drawing big crowds. Ella’s shows sold out and she never had to play small clubs again.
Marilyn’s support and sponsorship played a huge part in Ella’s success.
Similarly, mentorship in the workplace can bring significant impact on employee career success – not to mention significant impact on employee happiness, engagement, and productivity – by aligning individual personal and professional development needs with their organization’s goals.
And as companies strive to create more diverse, inclusive workplaces, building a network of supportive mentors and career sponsors can dramatically improve promotion and retention rates for women and under-represented groups by 15% to 38%, according to a study by Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Therefore, for tech leaders of color, finding sponsors and allies in the workplace becomes even more crucial.
For instance, a recent study by IBM identified several actions that business leaders can take to improve equity and inclusion in their workplace, including building a leadership pipeline of people of color, and creating work cultures of empathy and support.
Mentors can share tips and learnings from their own career paths – what to focus on, and what pitfalls to avoid – all in service of helping YOU carve out your own path.
How does one go about finding a good mentor who can help them navigate the workplace effectively?
A good mentor can be anyone from your current or former boss with whom you’ve had a good professional relationship with. Or a colleague whose career path you admire and aspire to learn from – they don’t need to be at the C-suite or senior management levels. Sometimes mentors at the mid-management levels can be much more accessible.
If your mentor is also your boss or a senior exec at your company, they can advocate for you at key periods such as promotions or high-visibility ‘plum’ projects where you could showcase your leadership abilities.
Industry groups or school social networks and clubs are also great places to find senior professionals who would be willing to help you – particularly if you are considering a career pivot into a new industry or focus area.
Don’t be afraid of casting a wide net and asking for help – most people want to help!
Mentoring is also very much a two-way street, so offer what you can to reciprocate. It’s good karma. Are there contacts you can introduce them to? Projects they need help with?
Stay tuned for these related topics we’ll discuss next time:
- What does successful mentorship look like – for the mentee and mentor?
- How to lay a good foundation for a great mentor-mentee relationship
- What? Me, mentor?
- What does business chemistry have to do with it?
- What are some tips for mentoring in a virtual world?
- What are some good, powerful questions to ask a mentee, to guide their path?
