The Power of Female Mentorship: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges

In September last year I was invited to an event called “Close the Gap – Diversity Live Talk”. The initiator of this event was Christina Decker, Head of Channel and Alliances at Trend Micro. Of course, Christina and myself as female Leaders in our market and industry had known each other for a long time, but it was the first time that we were in such close contact.

During and right after this event we were talking about what we can do together, and the idea was born to start a Mentoring Pilot across our 2 companies with the target audience of female high potentials and talents.

From that moment on we took action and got started.

We both committed to be the initial mentors for the start of this pilot and we kicked it off just recently. I have already had a first mentoring session with an inspiring mentee from Trend Micro and Christina has also started with a mentee from Lenovo.

Especially around IWD, I’d like to emphasize the importance of mentoring. Mentoring is clearly a Win Win for both Mentor & Mentee. But why do I strongly believe in cross-company mentoring? Here are three reasons:

1.      It´s of huge value to enable both parties to speak candidly outside their own company bubble

2.      It provides a safe space for parties to share different perspective, as an alternative to your daily environment

3.      It builds a female network across companies and industries which is important because I believe 100% that women should support women regardless of individual career choices

Now, if you are contemplating starting a similar pilot or mentoring activity, it´s important to think about what makes for the right company to match with to start such a project. I’d recommend that both companies should have a clear Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) agenda, and a people first approach. Both companies should also have a hands-on and pragmatic way to start such pilots. 

Many people have asked me why I´m doing this, why is it personally so important for me, and why I´m engaging in such voluntary activities beside a busy job?

It’s simple, I believe that talent management, specific female talent management, is very important.  It’s the small things make the difference, and actions speak louder than words. We cannot set out D&I pledges and talk about being inclusive if we aren’t walking the walk.  I have personally experienced mentoring outside my immediate and usual network, and it’s opened my mind and allowed me to give and receive new perspectives. The is enormous value and benefit of giving something back from your own experiences, and being able to mentor in the new program with Trend Micro is a true privilege.

I also asked Christina Decker why she felt as passionately as me about this pilot and mentoring for women.

“Although there is still a gender imbalance in the IT sector, mentorships can help women develop the skills they need to break down obstacles. Companies can benefit greatly from mentoring women, including improving their leadership abilities.

In order to meet other successful leaders, women can also gain from developing networks of significant and influential individuals through their mentors, which is why I am personally devoted to Trend Micro's "Close the Gap" initiative and engaged in building a network where women supporting each other. These relationships may offer women the self-assurance they need to better seize their opportunities. Women who have received mentoring cite the knowledge and abilities acquired as crucial resources for their professional careers.

Mentoring programs make it possible for women to get assistance and encouragement at work. Women can often feel alone in a workplace when they are the minority. Developing connections with other businesswomen can make them feel more a part of the community.”

If you want to understand more about the initiative Christina and I have set up please reach out to us. If you are interested in the D&I charters at our respective companies please take a look at Lenovo’s position on mentoring as part of training and development for employees (page 50), and the diversity and inclusion efforts (page 40) in the Lenovo Environmental, Social and Governance Report, or  Trend Micros’ Diversity, Fairness and Inclusion goals.

#EmbraceEquity #IWD2023 #WeAreLenovo #WomenSupportWomen #FemaleMentorship #WomenInTech