Ep 48 - Secrets to Good Mentorship for Women Engineers

Show Notes

In this episode we’ll touch on the very important topic of mentorship.

Early in my career mentorship was not as much encouraged as it is now. It was especially difficult for women engineers since there weren’t very many. And people weren’t used to having us in the workplace.

Today there are many mentoring programs and options. And mentorship is strongly encouraged, if not automatically assigned or an expected part of your job.

There is so much information about mentorship. So much advice about how to get mentorship, how to be mentored and how to be a mentor. I can’t even begin to address it all here.

So I’m focusing on some practices that I think will help you most. Secrets to good mentorship for women engineers.

There’s no question that mentors are valuable. Everyone needs mentorship at some point. You won’t get as far in your career without them. You’ll need people to help you. And you should allow them to.

Your mentor helps you build skills, but also (more importantly) shows you the ropes. Shows you how to make your way in this profession. You’ll benefit from your mentor’s wisdom, feedback, validation, support, and advocacy.

Your mentor can save you time and stress by sharing their experiences with you. Your mentor can help you turn fear into excitement. Your mentor can inspire you and open doors for you.

8 Secrets to Good Mentorship

If you haven’t had the benefit of a good mentor yet, take an action item to make that happen. And keep these 8 secrets to good mentorship in mind:

Find a way to make mentorship work for you. You’re the only one who can define that. A good arrangement supports the interests and identity of each mentee.

You should be able to engage in mentorship sessions – formal or informal – in a way that is comfortable and effective for you.

Don’t rely on your manager to fulfill all your mentorship needs. A manager’s job is to provide the support and the resources you need to make progress. Good managers know how to coach you so you can learn the job and help the mission.

A mentor is different than a coach. They use their own experiences to offer advice, and provide lessons learned and best practices. Because they’re not part of your chain of command, a mentor can bring a perspective that a manager often doesn’t have.

So find others to mentor you. The best mentors are often the people you admire. The people who have characteristics you aspire to or do work that you’d like to do. This is a good place to start when searching for mentors.

Create space in your mentor relationship for truth and trust. Mentors often need to give you tough advice. So they need to feel that they can safely tell you the truth.

Preparing yourself to listen and accept all feedback – and then to contemplate and act on it – enables the right environment. And this environment allows a more sincere relationship with more effective career impact.

Cultivate an appreciation for the little things and the mentors who do them. The little feedbacks and little validations. The little pieces of advice that tell you to “join this” or “do that.” You build confidence by building on many little successes.

The little things that mentors do make a big difference in your career. Cultivate an appreciation for them. Because in the long run they’re very powerful.

It’s worth the effort to seek out women mentors. They’re not usually easy to find, especially engineers. But it’s so helpful to have insight from a woman who’s been there.

You can also look for women mentors outside of engineering. Reach out to other departments or other organizations. To former bosses, professors or colleagues.

Don’t stay in a mentoring relationship that’s not a good fit or that is otherwise not working. If you don’t feel trust and respect, it’s best to find another mentor.

You may want to have an introductory meeting with each potential mentor to get to know them first. Determine if there’s a good fit before making any commitments. That way you avoid having to terminate a mentoring arrangement.

Be an impeccable mentee. Strive to be coachable. Be direct and honest. Practice active listening. Be purposeful and follow through. And don’t forget to say thank you.

Not only will this result in better mentoring outcomes, but it will facilitate a strong mentor relationship that is more likely to last your entire career.

Be a mentor because that helps your career, too. As a minimum, mentoring builds leadership, active listening and problem-solving skills.

By teaching someone else, you’ll enhance your own critical and strategic thinking. You’ll likely benefit from reverse mentoring. And have the added advantages of enhancing your network and bolstering your reputation.

What has been your mentoring experience? I hope you’ve had some positive ones and that mentorship is a part of your professional development plan.

I’d be happy to work with you on leveraging mentorship to accelerate your career progress and manifest your vision.

I invite you to take a look at my Signature Program and how it can help you become the distinguished engineer and respected leader you aspire to. It’s a simple application process to set up a discovery call.

In closing, I’ll share a quote that’s attributed to Robert Frost. He says, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”