Mentorship Makes or Breaks Successful Leaders
A friend came to me and shared they had secured their first leadership position. In my true empowering fashion, I celebrated her and told her all the reasons why she was well-deserving of the position. Then…we got to the nitty-gritty.
I said to her, “Please make sure you negotiate a mentor and a coach.”
“Huh?” She asked confused about negotiating these things rather than salary. I repeated myself assertively.
As Black women entering leadership, you can only take yourself so far without these supports. I remember my own experience with both, and I will say I got more from informal mentors than from formal ones. You know, the ones who show up because they signed up to be mentors, the ones who are more committed to the organization than to you…being as extreme as chalking up your pain and experiences as a flaw in who you are, rather than a flaw in the system, which can impact your authentic growth. Here are things mentors provide which allow for the growth of new leaders.
Foresight and Wisdom: Mentors should have walked in the same shoes as their mentees. Yes, it is possible for someone to provide insight into a mentee’s position but the alignment makes it so much more effective.
Emotional Support: Though a mentor should be in place to improve the success of a mentee, a part of this success is emotional support. Leaders within their first year can have so many ideas, visions, and things to do which makes it overwhelming. This overwhelming can be paralyzing or cause an emotional strain on their effectiveness. However, a mentor is there to help organize thoughts and be there to get the leader over the bridge to follow through on some of these plans.
Investment: A mentor is invested in their mentee outside of the organization. This means that conversations and feelings are held confidential and space is held for that leader, so they can process what they are going through. This process is imperative so they can see a path forward.
Resources: Like a coach, a mentor can also provide resources that are needed in order to perform well and be effective.
Advocacy: If needed, a mentor can advocate for the needs and growth of the mentee. Typically, a supervisor may have a conversation about the growth the mentee is experiencing and ways they can even support them more. This is the insight that the mentee will have.
If you have recently gotten into leadership, besides negotiating salary, location, hours, and other typical negotiations, do not forget to negotiate support for yourself. If you are a manager or supervisor, please be sure to keep these things in mind when choosing a mentor for your upcoming leaders.
