As Co-Chairperson of the Mentor Council of Moore Forward, our local entrepreneurship hub, I continue to look at mentorship and the many, many organizations that strive to foster entrepreneurship, business development, social equity and economic growth.
Two recent articles gave a close examination showing the challenges and rewards, specifically for women. The Power of Mentorship and How to find a Mentor, both in Real Simple magazine this month (August 2013.)
These articles, along with many others show similar factors that make mentorship work and are fundamental to growing a mentorship culture in an organization.
Some of the road blocks cited time and again are:
Haven’t found a mentor
Have been looking in the wrong place, namely, at work
There is a scarcity (for women in particular)
People are seeking people similar to them
Need to feel the person understands you
Want to find someone they can emulate
Seeking personal identification
Need to have mutual trust and be vulnerable, on both sides
Need to believe you belong
The Moore Forward educational events, like the finance panel that took place today, August 27 at Sandhills Community College, provide the opportunity for people to get together and learn about each other, and find commonalities. Even if one industry, business type, gender or skill set predominates, it is through conversation that we learn what we have in common and connections can be made.
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