How can mentoring help create a workplace where women are valued for the unique perspectives they bring?

Throughout my career, I have benefitted from the support and mentoring of others. In fact, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for all the people who have helped me to grow – both as a person, and as a leader. Regardless of the field you work in, I believe it’s essential to keep learning and trying to improve if you want to be successful. But you also need to be kind to yourself and accept that you won’t always get everything right the first time. 

Mentoring can play a vital role in helping the next generation of female leaders to progress. A mentor will typically encourage their female mentee to set and achieve career goals, identify and address skills gaps, and seek out new opportunities. They may also introduce her to useful contacts and networking groups. Digging deeper I know from my own experience that there are areas that women would particularly benefit from mentoring. For example, I believe mentoring can give women the strength to counter those inner voices that hold us back from leaning in, or make us think that it is a bad thing if we come across as ambitious, or restrict us in meetings or social events when we find ourselves to be the one woman out of a number of men.  

Of course, it’s not just the mentee who benefits from the mentoring process either – typically the mentor will gain fresh perspectives and improve their own communication and interpersonal skills. 

As leaders, we have a responsibility to dedicate time to mentoring, both to support our own development and the development of talented women within our teams. While I’m still learning all the time about what it means to be a good mentor, below are some thoughts that I hope will be helpful for other senior leaders who want to be effective mentors of female talent. I call them the ‘Five Bs’:

1. Be committed. By definition, senior leaders tend to be very busy people. We have packed diaries and we get called into a lot of meetings – often at very short notice. Despite our hectic schedules, it is essential we still find the time to speak regularly with our mentees and avoid moving timeslots set aside for mentoring, even when urgent issues arise. 
2. Be prepared. Find out as much as you can about your prospective mentee in advance of the first meeting. You could ask her to share her résumé or biography, or suggest she answers a few simple questions – perhaps about her career to date and future goals. Find out what she wants to get out of the mentoring process – she might be aiming for a very specific promotion or perhaps she wants to move into a role or sector that is very different from the one she’s currently in. 
3. Be present. Put yourself in the right frame of mind before you meet with your mentee. Allow yourself at least 10 minutes of head space before the meeting starts to really focus on how you want to use the valuable time you’re spending with her. You might want to prepare a few questions in advance. Refresh your memory of any previous meetings by referring to your notes. 
4. Be challenging. It is your job to help your mentee fulfil her potential and be the best she can be. So, don’t be afraid to challenge her ideas and assumptions, and even her ambitions. She may have erected mental barriers that are stopping her from seeing what is possible. By asking the right questions, you will help her to approach her challenges from a different angle, perhaps enabling her to achieve better outcomes in the long run.  
5. Be quiet. Well, for some of the time, at least. Listening is a hugely important part of mentoring and it’s important to let your mentee find her own answers to the questions you pose. Having said that, you shouldn’t be afraid to share your own workplace experiences – especially any mistakes you have made. Not only will your mentee learn from hearing about your challenges and failures, she is more likely to trust you with her own concerns, which will strengthen the relationship between you. 

I am passionate about the value of mentoring – and passionate about helping women to develop and progress in their careers. So, I am very proud that EY Assurance has launched a new mentoring program for female managers globally. Female managers who join the program will have one-to-one coaching with their chosen senior leader – either myself or one of my colleagues in the global Assurance core leadership team. 

During my career, I have seen many times over, the hugely positive impact that diverse teams have when it comes to solving problems and generating ideas, on behalf of both EY teams and our clients. Fundamentally, an empowered diverse workforce is the foundation for creating long-term value for clients, people and society. The new mentoring program recognizes this fact by supporting the amazing female talent within our business, while ensuring that the Assurance practice is an inclusive and empowering workplace setting, where women are truly valued for the unique perspectives they bring.