We\u2019ve been talking and posting on social media about #WomensHistoryMonth throughout March to celebrate the women who have blazed new trails throughout history and to increase awareness for the work that still needs to be done for each of us to reach our full potential.\u00a0 This includes leveraging the experience of those who have gone before us through mentorship and support for other women.\u00a0 When one of us wins, we all win!<\/p>\n
Everyone is familiar with the \u201cold boys network\u201d.\u00a0 If women are going to be successful, we need each other \u2013 we need to create the \u201cnew women\u2019s network\u201d.\u00a0 While some women achieve success, and then want other women to have to \u201cwork as hard as they did\u201d, it\u2019s the true leaders that will encourage other women and help pull their chairs to the table.<\/p>\n
We still have a lot of ground to make-up to reach C-Suite positions, upper level management and pay equity, so we must learn from each other along the way.\u00a0 Take the time to seek advice from the one woman who has a seat at the boardroom table \u2013 she knows the players and the culture.\u00a0 Men network and help each other, so women should do the same.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, a woman boss or colleague who steps into that important mentor role for you could be the person that changes everything.\u00a0 A good mentor can have many roles.\u00a0 She (or he) can:<\/p>\n
When you\u2019ve found that person, listen to her, appreciate her, because you might remember her for the rest of your life.\u00a0 Personally, I met the mentor who would change the course of my life when there was a gap between my career in the mental health field and starting my own business.<\/p>\n
During this period, I managed to land a position with the Flint River Girl Scout Council as a field director, and a woman named Gail Kirocofe was my direct supervisor.\u00a0 I believed myself to be completely out of my element, with no experience hiring staff and managing the many details associated with being a camp director.<\/p>\n
Every day, Gail reassured me that she knew I had the ability, strength and smarts to do the job.\u00a0 She let me know that she wasn\u2019t going to do it for me, but that she had the belief in me that I was fully capable of doing it myself.<\/p>\n
In my effort to not disappoint her, I was able to dig deep and find what she saw in me.\u00a0 I literally credit her with having a thumbprint on my success, which changed the course of my life.\u00a0 Even though I was only with the Girl Scouts for two years, this story illustrates my conviction of the power of one mentor.\u00a0 Gail believed in me, which gave me the confidence to raise my expectations for myself.\u00a0 While I have had many mentors over the years, Gail was the one that touched my career at that pivotal moment.\u00a0 When I left the Girl Scouts, I moved on to start my own business.<\/p>\n
In 2015, the awareness of the impact Gail had on my life was particularly striking.\u00a0 I was featured on an electronic billboard as a conference speaker in Pennsylvania.\u00a0 Realizing how far I had come, I found Gail to let her know I would not have been on that billboard without her.\u00a0 In her 80s, Gail became a children\u2019s book author and was enjoying her next chapter of success.<\/p>\n
When we talk about Women\u2019s History Month and mentorship, don\u2019t ever underestimate the power of one \u2013 that one mentor can have an astonishing impact on your life, your success and who you ultimately become.<\/p>\n