The Power of Cross-Gender Mentoring

by Courtney Hyde

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Today, mentorship can make or break an individual’s career. With mentorship, one can gain valuable life and leadership skills. With that said, we would like to explore the implications of the male/female mentorship role and how that impacts a woman’s life and career. LeanIn Founder Sheryl Sandberg and P&G's Marc Pritchard said, “Not harassing is not enough. We need men to support women’s careers. That’s how we’ll achieve a workplace that is truly equal for all.” Here at 50/50 Leadership, a few individuals contributed their thoughts.

Rachel Yegiaian, Team Leader
“I think it’s great to have BOTH perspectives with male/female mentorship. I have had wonderful male mentors and very few women mentors. I think it is invaluable to have ANY mentoring. I have a few that started as bosses and over my career have turned into friends and mentors and have helped guide my career. I try to give back when I can even if that means opening up my network on LinkedIn for someone to be introduced to a better mentor. Yes, I think men should be more supportive of women in the workplace--male advocates help provide women credibility. In my industry, aerospace/defense/manufacturing, a male endorsement means a lot!”

Ria Severance, Board Member
“Can be great having a male/female mentorship, depending on the mentor.” Ria said she thinks it’s Empowering to people’s career - setting specific deadlines and following through keeps people mindful of moving forward intentionally.
In response to if men should be more supportive of women in the workplace, Ria said, “They often have more power, by design, and can leverage that power for women. They CAN leverage that power - whether they are mindful of how they can, and whether they do or not is another matter.”

Felisha Marecki, Team Leader
“I would not be where I'm at in my career or personal life without outside guidance. The power of mentorship is very influential,” is how Felisha responded to how mentorship improves people’s careers.
Felisha said, “Of course, men should be more supportive of women in the workplace. I don't think men truly understand what women have struggled through. I feel if they could be more empathetic to the struggles of women, especially in certain fields, they could allow women to be genuinely true to themselves.”

To read more about the importance of mentorship in the workplace see the below articles.

  1. https://leanin.org/mentor-her

  2. https://www.fox29.com/news/survey-men-in-workplace-uncomfortable-mentoring-working-alone-or-socializing-with-women

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