Do Business Well

To open doors we need the vision of those who have gone ahead to inspire us — role models. We need a lift-up from those already in positions of power and influence — sponsors. We need the ear of those more experienced than us — mentors. We need the helping hands of those around us — our support network. And, last but not least, we need to remember to help others who are walking the path some distance behind us.

Wanted: role models

As you begin to develop your career, look around you for positive role models. Our generation of career-orientated women has had some difficulty in finding role models who are suited to the new challenges that we face.

Yet I firmly believe that women need the opportunity to observe, learn from and, above all, have our fires lit by other successful women. In particular, we need to observe women who have successfully combined career and marriage, as many of us are or will be married and have children to rear. We need to look at women of spirit and integrity who represent the kind of goals that we ourselves aspire to.

Male role models abound, but much as I admire outstanding men, they can never speak to me the way a woman can.

Role models don’t necessarily have to be people we know personally. They may be women that we admire from afar. Begin by listing the names of four women that you most admire: a family member, a teacher, a community leader, a business woman or even a politician. Choose women of great accomplishment, whose courage has helped them over seemingly insurmountable odds. Why do you admire a particular woman? How did she achieve her goals? How did she define achievement? What can she teach you about success, either personal or in the workplace?

Sponsors and mentors limited

No, it is not diamonds, but mentors that are a working woman’s best friend. If you’re a woman on the move, you need the assistance of informal systems of personal development that are to be found in organisations — mentors and sponsors.

Men have long recognised the value of the assistance of older, more experienced staff. This kind of career enhancement is simply not to be found in books, manuals, lecture halls or classrooms.

I am referring to practical everyday wisdom which comes from years of experience on the job. Ways of handling difficult people, resolving interpersonal conflicts, hiring and firing, making snap decisions, negotiating deals and clinching sales can be learnt by observing the sterling example of others.

Mentor or sponsor? What’s the difference?

A mentor is actually a tried and trusted friend, a guide to lead you through the intricacies of organisational life so that you can advance on your career journey. Mentors are generous people who are willing to spend precious time with you, listening to your dreams, coaching you on the job, encouraging you when you’re in doubt and pointing the road ahead. A mentor will advise you, be someone you can trust with your queries, who will act as a sounding board and give you honest feedback on your performance. In fact, mentors have to be willing to watch you eventually overtake them as you walk through doors which may never have opened to them.

It’s advisable to have not only a single mentor, but several if you are fortunate enough to find them. For instance, one person may be better equipped than another to advise you on a particular aspect of your career development.

On the other hand, a sponsor is already a senior person in leadership who can actually use his or her influence and position to help you with concrete career opportunities such as challenging assignments, special training and promotion.

Finding the right person to act as sponsor or mentor is hard work. Finding women to fill these roles is even more difficult. There are still too few women who have made it right to the top echelons of management and who are available to sponsor their younger up-and-coming sisters.

I have yet to find a woman at a sufficiently upper-level position in my organisation to sponsor me. They simply don’t exist — yet. If your case is similar, you will have to enlist the aid of a male sponsor.

Are there colleagues or acquaintances in the workplace who might act as mentors or sponsors? List them below.

Approach the people you have listed and ask for help and advice. Show your willingness to learn from them. Remember that your mentors need not be members of your organisation. A respected teacher, a trusted family member or an acquaintance in an unrelated field, but imbued with the qualities you admire, can make a wonderful mentor.

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