My passion for thought around gender issues originates from identifying with riot grrrl in my youth. I also have a BA in Literature from Mills College and studied Eighteenth-Century British Novel and Proto-Feminism in graduate school. I like cooking, cats, horror movies, making awesome mixes, and redwoods.
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Gender diversity is a business imperative that builds stronger teams and increases performance. But how do we ensure that gender diversity in our organizations? Especially seeing as, according to the Center For American Progress’ fact sheet, women in information technology hold only nine percent of management positions. Moreover, just 4.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
At last year’s Women Innovators Network luncheon, each of our panelists cited mentorship as an essential ingredient for success. According to a study on women and mentorship, women need to ask for mentors because 63% of women have never had a formal mentor, but 67% of women rate mentorship as highly important in helping to advance and grow their careers. Clearly, companies need to bolster mentorship opportunities for women.
In anticipation of our Women Innovators Network reception at this year’s Dreamforce, we spoke with three female leaders at Bluewolf to get their nuggets of advice for nurturing mentorship in an organization. Our hope is to ultimately foster an environment in which women can thrive in diverse roles throughout all facets of a company.
Marissa Sitka, Senior Consultant, told us she was inclined to make a bold statement. She remarks, “I think that mentorship is non-negotiable for our company. It’s a must-have to be successful in such a fast-paced, knowledge-heavy environment.” Marissa adds, “It’s not always about the person in charge — there’s mentorship happening organically all over the company.”
Holly Gage, Marketing Service Director, said, “I receive mentorship from other women across the organization. Actually, I’ve really had more mentorship at Bluewolf from women because they’re in the leadership roles I report to.”
Nat Adler, Delivery Manager, explained, “When I reached out to one of the senior leaders at Bluewolf, her response to me was ‘Of course I’ll be your mentor, I’m very passionate about promoting the success of high-potential women.’ And I feel the same way about the people I’m mentoring.”
It’s precisely this pay-it-forward attitude that we need. And of course, mentorship does not apply exclusively to women — most of us have had mentors of both genders. The ideal is to be open to mentorship, both in sharing your knowledge and in asking for guidance to help you reach your career goals. Fostering a mentoring culture can only lead to a more equal advancement of all of the talent in your organization.
Join the conversation at our upcoming Women Innovators Network reception at the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco during this year's Dreamforce. Request your invitation.
