Note: Assortativity coefficient of network of career development relationships = 0.27, indicating clear tendency for men to connect with other men and women to connect with other women.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The danger, then, is that mentoring can reinforce, and even institutionalize, divisions between different groups and exclude those in the minority.<\/p>\n Leaders can address this challenge while also accelerating development by purposefully mentoring across differences. These differences can be demographic in nature (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation), functional or even geographic.\u00a0 While mentoring someone who comes from a different background can make initial interactions more challenging, it can also maximize learning by increasing the diversity of thought and experience to which both mentor and mentee are exposed. For example, in a study we conducted of ~150 director-level leaders who participated in a 6-month mentoring program, those leaders who were mentored by an executive from a different part of the enterprise reported the best learning outcomes.\u00a0 According to one mentee, “Mentoring made a big impact and being paired with someone from a completely different part of the business exposed blind spots I never would have recognized otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether you are looking for a mentor, choosing to mentor, or building an enterprise-wide mentoring program, there are two keys to successfully mentoring across differences. The first key is to be planful. Instead of simply waiting for mentoring relationships to form based on happenstance, add a little structure. Actively look for someone different than yourself to build a mentoring relationship with or match mentors and mentees based not only on the mentees\u2019 development goals but also on the degree to which mentors and mentees bring different points of view. Similarly, establish expectations about how often mentors and mentees will meet, how long the relationship will last, and the goals of the mentoring relationship.<\/p>\n The second key to successfully mentoring across differences is equipping both mentor and mentee to partner effectively with someone who may have a very different skillset and\/or background.\u00a0 This can involve reconsidering personal beliefs, embracing curiosity, openly discussing differences, and being willing to be vulnerable. Prepare mentors and mentees to actively engage in these conversations by providing them with tools and prompts to make the conversation easier.\u00a0 For example, suggest that mentors and mentees share their cultural backgrounds, discuss assumptions, and explore commonalities and differences.\u00a0 Encourage mentors to acknowledge differences while strengthening the relationship with statements, such as, \u201cI know we come from different backgrounds, but I\u2019m here to listen, advocate and use my power to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n In our experience, when well done, mentoring across differences has a meaningful, positive developmental impact on both the mentor and mentee while building a learning culture characterized by diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/contemporaryleadership.com\/staging\/1870\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mentoring-across-diff.png\")
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