How to #TransformTheFuture of mentoring - 4 ways of making mentoring work for diversity & inclusion

"Do you know what happens on the 23rd June?"

"In 930 the Icelandic Parliament was established."

"Nice answer, Google...but no."

"In 1949 the first 12 women graduate from Harvard Medical School."

"We are getting closer, but no."

"In 1950 Swiss parliament refuses voting rights for women."

"Whaaaaaat?! Now we are going back!"

Ok, I will tell you!

The 23th June is International Women in Engineering Day and this #INWED19 also marks the Centenary of Women in Engineering Society (WES) which developed and coordinates this annual international awareness campaign.

This international awareness day raises the profile of women in engineering, celebrates their success and focuses attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry.

This year's topic is quite challenging. It encourages all of us to think about the future we would like to see and commit to actions to make it happen.

How do we #TransformTheFuture of women in Engineering?

It is easy to see that with only 12% of women working in engineering in the UK there is still a lot which need to be done.

In particular

There are specific actions that can be taken in each of these areas, but what about working on something that can support these 3 pillars all at the same time?

I believe that one of the answers to this question is mentoring.

Mentoring can be tailored to achieve any of the 3 objectives. It also has the benefit of being a cross-functional activity that can be applied in any area that needs more diversity and inclusion, not only engineering.

Since the percentages are still not looking great though, are we sure we are doing enough on mentoring? Are we doing the right things? Are we overlooking something or someone?

How do we #TransformTheFuture of mentoring (in Engineering)?

In her 2018 TEDx Talk Victoria Black suggests that we may be focusing too much on what makes a good mentor and not enough on what makes a good mentee.

Victoria Black, Director for Peer Mentoring at Texas State University does researches on the concept of mentorability.

Linking to what she says I think we should do more in these 4 areas

1- Recognise Reciprocity and be Vulnerable

It is important for both the mentee and the mentor to recognise that mentoring is a two way conversation.

There is still a strong perception that mentoring is about an older and more experienced person transferring their knowledge to the younger generation.

Focusing too much on this top down approach can impact on the level of commitment that both the mentor and the mentee put into their relationship.

Senior mentors may perceive mentoring as an additional task to their already busy agenda with a low return for them. So it may be more difficult for them to find time to meet their mentees. In order to avoid that, they need to

• clarify beforehand what their objectives are,

• be open to learn from this experience more than what they expected,

• be vulnerable to change.

Mentees, especially younger ones, may feel too much on the receiving end and struggle to both define their objectives and take full ownership of shaping their mentoring relationship. They need to

• be very transparent,

• ask for help from their mentor.

The role of the mentor in this case is to encourage and support self-reflection before imparting any word of wisdom.

Everyone needs to remember that mentoring is a voluntary choice! Commitment, vulnerability and trust can only happen if both the mentor and the mentee want to be there.

2- Approach mentoring with Confidence

1. Mentoring is not the silver bullet for every personal and professional improvement.

2. A good mentor is not always the best mentor for a specific mentee.

These are two very important rules to bear in mind when entering any mentoring relationship.

Confidence (both of the mentee and the mentor) is key to

• identify what is not working,

• step back,

• call it out,

• think to another approach that can be more helpful.

3- Know your mentoring options

The more traditional top down idea of mentoring can preclude people from looking for mentoring in the first place.

There are other types of mentoring like peer mentoring or reverse mentoring which can be really useful depending on the specific circumstances.

Mentoring is not only about training, development and filling those gaps in your CV which can help you land your next role on the career ladder. Mentoring is also useful to

• gain or improve your self-awareness,

• understand your strengths and your values,

• help you shape your career around them.

If you are an employeer or a manager,

• make sure your employees and teams know what opportunities for mentoring are available to them both inside and outside your organisation,

• know what types of mentoring (and coaching) exist and can be appropriate for each individual needs.

If you feel you need some kind of support for your development (whatever that means to you and however undefined your objectives may still be)

• do your homework,

• research,

• ask what type of mentoring you can have access to,

• start small and informally and build from there.

4- Build diversity into mentoring and build inclusion with mentoring

Because of the lack of diversity in workplaces like engineering, minorities usually struggle to find people who "look like them" at the higher levels when they are looking for mentoring.

If you are a prospect mentee,

• look for people you trust regardless of the fact that you identify with them or not,

• ask them to mentor you.

If you are creating a mentoring program,

• make sure you have the more diverse group of mentors possible to be able to find the right match for everyone.

I would encourage all to look for pairs where the mentor and the mentee come from different backgrounds and experiences. I believe we should challenge the assumption that only someone that has gone through similar experiences can be a good mentor for another person.

If we really believe in reciprocity in mentoring and we want to build a more inclusive working environment, creating more diverse pairs can prove useful.

Diversity creates opportunities for mentoring and mentoring creates more diversity and inclusion!

How does this experience #TransformMyFuture?

Coming back #INWED19 these has been 2 very busy weeks. I run workshops, volunteered as STEM ambassador and attended several events.

At the end I am

• A more self-aware mentee;

• A mentor in a mentoring programme which is about to start;

• A better public speaker;

• A better active listener.

What are you doing to #TransformTheFuture, whatever this means for you? And how is this Transforming Your Future?

Let me know in the comments.