We know that male mentors and sponsors are essential for helping talented women get ahead. When women are mentored by men, they make more money, receive more promotions, and report greater satisfaction with their career trajectories. Although advantageous for all employees, mentoring is particularly helpful to women for addressing the myriad barriers to career advancement. But in the wake of the #MeToo Movement there are growing whispers among some men that it just isn’t safe to mentor women. We’ve also heard from some men who are having the opposite reaction, determining to mentor and “save” more women. While we applaud their good intentions, this attitude is also unlikely to have the results they want.
Mentoring Women Is Not About Trying to “Rescue” Them
The best mentoring relationships are reciprocal.
March 14, 2018
Summary.
Male mentors and sponsors are essential for helping talented women get ahead. But for a lot of senior guys, it’s tough to mentor junior women without falling into tired old “white knight to the rescue” stereotypes. What’s a decent guy to do? Focus on what is called “reciprocal mentoring.” Instead of a traditional mentor-mentee hierarchy, in a reciprocal mentoring relationship both the mentor and the mentee learn from one another. This requires mutual listening and affirmation; humility; shared power; and a broader definition of what a good “outcome” looks like. But it’s a much more rewarding kind of relationship — for both parties.
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New!
HBR Learning
Coaching Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Coaching. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to help your employees become the best they can be.