It’s not a great thing to generalize about any group, minority, or gender. But, by and large, women have the capacity to be strong mentors in nearly any sphere. Being natural-born leaders and nurturers, they have the power and capacity to help mold and build up other people levitating in their cosmos easily. The modern woman has to juggle a variety of roles – mother, sister, entrepreneur, friend, community leader, and so on – which means that multitasking comes to them fairly naturally.

At the same time, due to various societal pressures, women are sometimes taught that they need to fend for themselves and that most places of power only have room for one strong woman. So, the natural impulse to mentor others is buried and rarely allowed to resurface. However, if more women were able to find time to mentor one another, then there would actually be many opportunities for them in any field they wish to pursue. It would change the dynamics of things tremendously. The following are a few ways to help cultivate mentoring skills, which are always in demand.

The Importance of Women Prioritizing Mentorship

Mentorship allows mentees to be exposed to different ideas and new ways of thinking, which inevitably brings excellent opportunities for growth. Prioritizing mentoring relationships in life also allows you to develop key strengths and feedback on important communication skills, such as public speaking and presentations. Women especially are never taught to be outspoken and often have trouble giving presentations, especially in the workforce. Hearing valuable advice from other women on how to overcome this typical fear or anxiety about being outspoken and vulnerable in public is tremendously important. 

Furthermore, a woman mentoring other women can help guide professional development and offer valuable insight into advancement opportunities in different spheres, especially the professional, such as management. Or referring them to new projects or guide them into higher education. In general, acting as a mentor is important and of great value to any mentee.

Why It Is Good to Be a Mentor?

The mentee has a lot to gain from being mentored by another woman. However, you’re probably wondering what’s in it for the mentor. There are actually quite a few. Mentors will develop a solid reputation as a person who is knowledgeable about the matter at hand, and generous. The community or your work colleagues are bound to see you as a natural leader.

In addition, there is a give and take in the mentorship process, and the mentor is bound to gain a new perspective and be exposed to fresh ideas and approaches that will inevitably lead to success. This is great if you’ve been practicing the same profession or performing the same tasks for a long time. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and become unclear as to how to make things fresh again. If you feel as though your ideas or tactics have become a bit stagnant, then mentoring someone else may be the best way to help you envision new opportunities while also helping them build their own professional network. It will also help you figure out how to further develop your plans or reach a new set of professional goals.

Perhaps most importantly, mentoring others can lead you to the development of your leadership and communication style. There is a reason why so many women are life coaches these days. Women have the natural ability to nurture others to overcome their own issues while cultivating their own invaluable communication skills.

The Qualities of an Effective Mentor

A good mentor is someone who truly cares and wants to help. They always possess positive energy and remain committed to the cause, whatever it may be. A mediocre mentor is someone who simply does not care and does not put in the necessary work protecting the relationship between them and their mentee. For this reason, effective mentors typically tend to be women. The nurturing element that comes so easily to women without any hindrance puts them in a good position to be influential mentors in nearly any industry or capacity – be it personal or professional.

A good mentor is also someone who is trustworthy and an excellent listener. They also know how to give constructive feedback that isn’t there solely for the purpose of cutting someone else down to size. Furthermore, they are keenly aware of how to offer support to others and don’t just stop at the introduction. They are willing to develop exercises that will allow their mentees to practice their new skills, such as giving a speech out loud or practicing a pitch.

Women need other women with a leg up and a bit more experience to take them under their wing in a non-patronizing way. While things have changed a lot in the past few decades, there remain few avenues for women to learn from other women who have already been through the wringer and need some help in finding their way professionally and personally. And, not to put too fine a line under it, but women truly aren’t given the opportunity to speak up – in class, for example, they usually have to make room for their male cohort, who usually have no trouble at all raising their hands to always have their opinions heard. When a woman listens to a younger girl expressing her fear and anxiety about a variety of issues, knowing that she has a compassionate sounding board, it can make a huge difference in her life.

Women Mentors Create Opportunities for Other Women

Many studies have shown that women mentoring other women, especially in the workforce, can have a generative effect and help build the foundation for professional advancement for the entire group – not just one or two women. And the effects within the community or organization last for a while, only growing over time. For example, if one woman who was effectively mentored by another takes on a managerial or executive role, it will increase over time. The cycle will continue, and women will hire other women, meaning that they will be more likely to hire other women, which changes the culture for the best over time. This will lead to less harassment, more attentiveness to the issues affecting women, and so on. It’s essentially a snowball effect, which is vital, especially when taking into account any corporate structure.

Another important aspect of women mentoring others, especially other women, is that the mentees will usually apply the same lessons and attitude across the spectrum. This grassroots sort of work shouldn’t be minimized, as it can change everything from the law, instigate various policy changes, stimulate positive action in the boardroom, and allow women to make decisions and speak for themselves without needing to ask for permission.

Women-Led Entrepreneurship

Women mentoring other women on how to be self-made entrepreneurs is a valuable addition and will positively affect every community over time. So, if you think of it beyond the confines of corporate structures, not too many women are able to strike it out on their own or build their own empires – they simply don’t have the same resources offered to men. This is why women mentoring others is incredibly vital. There are systemic barriers to women both inside and outside the workplace, barring them from having the same access to capital and different business loans that men do, which is why having someone to lead the way who has experienced similar discrimination is helpful. It can dramatically increase your ability as a mentor to tip the scales and lead to positive change, which allows women business owners to enter and exert influence on different spheres, especially in political life. In sum, the more leadership roles cleared for women through mentorship, the stronger the opportunities offered for future entrepreneurship in the local community.

Changing Perceptions

Because women tend to be so underappreciated by society at large, a motivating factor for them to become mentors may not seem immediately evident. But, because women are not usually given the necessary tools to embark upon a successful career path or become mothers without being entirely overwhelmed by childcare duties, mentorship can play an important role in instilling a newfound sense of confidence and empowerment.

Women understand what it’s like to face so many trials and tribulations, which makes them exceptionally positioned to offer valuable mentorship to others who are struggling. The mentorship process also allows an opportunity to change the perception that many women develop early on, which hinders them from recognizing their own talent. Women are typically more empathetic, which enables them to encourage others to celebrate their achievements, move past their fears, and push others to continuously develop their skills.

Teaching Self Advocacy

Women, in general, are not great with self-advocacy and putting themselves out there. This can change when other women break their shell and find it within themselves to mentor others. It teaches others to be more outspoken and open about their ambitions on a personal and professional level. This means that women often find themselves passed over for a groundswell of opportunities and promotions in the workplace while also not having their voices heard in the home, even their romantic relationships leaving them a bit lonely. Women understand what it is like to be sidelined and to not feel heard. This can change through effective leadership, particularly when it comes from another woman serving in the mentorship role. This is because women can help provide that much-needed push in the right direction that perhaps may not come to them as naturally without that guidance.

Open Discussions

Women offering effective mentorship means that they can provide a safe platform for others to openly discuss their ambitions. A mentor can encourage others to take these ambitions seriously and learn how to articulate them in their professional and personal lives. Again, because women can relate to what it means to be pushed to the sidelines, they can offer an attentive ear and know-how to guide others into better formulating their feelings and ideas. Whether the problem is a lack of confidence or not being entirely clear on the skills required to succeed, a female mentor can help clear the cobwebs, especially when she is offering mentorship to other young women who truly need help in overcoming different challenges. These open discussions are especially valuable as the mentees make their way and learn to navigate the vagaries of organizational leadership. In general, women who are able to mentor others can provide their invaluable personal experience, offering a generous guidepost that can positively impact the careers of others. Given the traditional lack of resources afforded to women, this is especially helpful.

Building a Strong Network

Having another woman be a mentor can help give women access to professional and community-based networks that may not have been previously available to them. This is because a mentor can help introduce them to others in their profession to help make them be more visible in their field or their town. The benefits of greater visibility at any level is tremendous, and it is a truly valuable asset that a woman mentor can offer to others. Women who mentor others into leadership roles contribute to a successful life cycle that will help prolong the lifeblood of any successful initiative or organization. It is difficult to overstate the positive impact of mentorship, particularly when women are put in charge of controlling the helm.

As a whole, women possess a deep understanding of the various challenges others face on different levels. This empathy and ability to understand different perspectives make them excellent natural mentors. Given that they also perform so many roles in society on an interpersonal and professional level, this flexibility and ability to multitask makes them uniquely positioned to act as mentors. Other women would benefit from other women mentoring them, and it is bound to have a positive impact within the professional and personal spheres.

Sources

Elting, L. (n.d.). 4 Ways Women Mentoring Women Can Change The World. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizelting/2018/11/26/4-ways-women-mentoring-women-can-change-the-world/

How to mentor and support other women — and help them succeed. (2020, March 6). Ideas.ted.com. https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-mentor-and-support-other-women-and-help-them-succeed/