By Valerie Ryder and Kristina Tool

Mentoring plays a critical role in the advancement of women professionals in all sectors. It provides women role models, it can provide access to important networks and opportunities, and can provide structure for the development of individual skills and leadership abilities.

These are areas that are often cited as key barriers to career advancement for women in Italy, as is the lack of mentoring in general. Only a small portion of the Italian working population has access to this career development tool, mainly selected high-potential employees of international corporations.

PWA has innovatively moved to fill this gap by pioneering network mentoring in Italy, via its Women Leading Women program. The mentoring program is a key component of PWA’s updated mission, which is to support the advancement of career-minded women in their professional growth and development through networking, skill-building and mentoring in an international environment.

Facts and Figures:

by Valerie Ryder, PWA Professional Development Director

The Mentor and Mentee application forms for the PWA Mentoring Program are now available. To apply, download the appropriate form(s) here (Mentee application form or Mentor application form) and follow the instructions therein.

Please note that applicants must be current members of PWA, and that attendance at the Mentoring Skills Workshop planned for Saturday, 29 May 2010 is mandatory for participation as a mentor or a mentee.

The application period for this first edition of the Mentoring Program runs from 17 March to 16 April 2010.

Questions? Contact the Mentoring Team members – Valerie Ryder and Monique Svazlian – at professional@pwa-milan.org

by Valerie Ryder, PWA Professional Development Director

As we approach the opening of the application process of the PWA Mentoring Program (mid-March), you may be interested in the idea of becoming a mentor – and you may also be wondering if you have what it takes. Preconceived notions about the requirements of a good mentor, or even simple modesty, might have raised question marks about your appropriateness for this role.

In the framework of a network mentoring program such as PWA’s, the description of an effective mentor is somewhat different than that of a traditional corporate mentor. To clarify this distinction, we have identified the ideal characteristics of mentors in the PWA program, as well as the roles they may fulfill.

Characteristics of PWA Mentors

1. Relevant experience and/or knowledge. Potential mentors need to have knowledge (general, technical, or skill-related) or experience in a certain area which could be useful to an aspiring mentee. The first part is easy – we all have experience and knowledge. The second part – whether it would be useful to someone else- is where there may be uncertainty. The answer is: It is very likely that it would be beneficial. To be sure, apply as a mentor – you never know who may be in need of the experience you’ve got!

2. Communication skills. Effective mentors are skilled in a certain number of key communication areas, such as active listening, providing constructive feedback, and demonstrating empathy. The training workshop we will be holding for all participants will cover a number of these competencies.

3. Willingness and availability to contribute to the success of others. PWA mentors need to want to help fellow women in their professional advancement, and commit to the availability requirements of the program, knowing that they in turn will surely derive worthwhile benefits in the process.

Reminder: There is no minimum age, seniority, professional level, or educational qualifications in the PWA Mentoring Program.

Various Roles of Mentors
In the PWA program, we anticipate that mentors will play one or two of the roles described, but certainly not all of them. In fact, it is widely recommended that women develop a panel of mentors – both women and men – with diverse backgrounds, skills and connections, in order to receive the different types of guidance and support they may need.

Counselor. In this role, fundamental in a network mentoring program such as PWA’s, the mentor is supportive and acts as a sounding board to help her mentee successfully move forward professionally.
- Offers suggestions based on her own professional experience and helps mentee avoid any mistakes she may have made.
- Candidly shares issues related to gender in the workplace.
- Helps the mentee strategize to achieve career goals and weigh the pros and cons of career choices.
- Explains the unwritten rules in the mentee’s environment.
- Assists with strategies for time management essential to balancing work and personal life.

Coach/Advisor. The mentor may serve as a coach/advisor in giving candid feedback, providing assistance with career development, and advising on how to accomplish objectives. Although coaching and mentoring are overall quite different, this is one area where there is some overlap.
- Helps the mentee clarify her performance objectives and areas she would like to develop.
- Offers the mentee candid feedback and provides specific recommendations on areas in which the mentee would like to improve.

Role Model. In certain cases, the mentor may be an inspiring role model. Observing how others conduct themselves and interact with others is often cited by successful individuals as one of their key strategies.
- Leads by example.
- Demonstrates knowledge and insight into applicable informal political processes.
- Exhibits components of an effective leadership style.

Advocate. The mentor may from time to time act as a sponsor for the mentee.
- Opens doors and introduces the mentee to select members of the mentor’s network of contacts.
- Informs her mentee about any appropriate professional or educational opportunities she may be aware of.
Note to mentees: Please do not expect this of your mentors – this is an optional added benefit!

For more information on the PWA Mentoring Program, contact us at professional@pwa-milan.org.
• Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
• Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator

* Adapted from “Creating Successful Mentoring Programs: A Catalyst Guide”.

by Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator

By now it is likely you have heard about the upcoming PWA Mentoring Program, scheduled to launch in the spring. As we continue planning the program, we are already hearing from many of our members interested in participating. Considering this is a first-time program for the Milan network, we would like to clearly communicate the steps on how to apply and what to expect from the process in order to make it as straightforward as possible. You can download the program brochure here PWA Mentoring Program Brochure

Step 1) Fill out the PWA Mentoring Program Application Form – Mid-March to Mid-April
The application forms will be available on the PWA website beginning mid-March, and the application period will last until mid-April. Keep an eye out for more communication from us informing you when the forms become available on-line. This is the only way to apply for the program – you will be asked to fill out a Mentor or Mentee Profile, depending on the role you are applying for, which will help us find you the right match.

Step 2) Attend the workshop “Identify Your Mentoring Expertise” – April 7th
Whether you believe you could be a Mentor or not, this optional workshop will help you identify the expertise you have to be a Mentor. We all have useful experience, backgrounds and training that can be potentially helpful for others. Through this mini-workshop, which will take place at the April Networking Aperitivo, you’ll identify your “Inner Mentor” which will gear us all up to participate fully in the program. It is open to all members and guests, and is not a prerequisite for becoming a Mentor.

Step 3) Receive email notification: Match successfully identified – Early May
At the close of the application period (mid-April), we will evaluate all applications received. Pairs will be matched based on the level of relevance between objectives stated by the Mentee and available Mentor experience and skills. If we are able to identify an appropriate match, you will be notified via email by the beginning of May.
Note about Participation: As this is a first-time program and we would like to ensure a high-quality service to members, we are limiting the Mentor/Mentee pairs to 10-12 in total. Given the level of interest expressed in the program so far, we anticipate the possibility of receiving more applications than we can fulfill in this first round. Applicants who are not successfully matched will be notified by email that they have been placed on a waiting list for the next edition of the Mentoring program, planned for early 2011.

Step 4) Attend the PWA Mentoring Program Launch Event – May 19th
The official Mentoring Program Launch event will be open to all program participants, PWA members, and guests. The event will be the first time you officially meet your Mentor/Mentee partner, as well as hear from a panel of speakers and testimonials from our Honorary Mentors.

Step 5) Attend the Mentoring Program Skills Training Workshop – Late May
This half-day workshop, an essential component of the program, will be geared towards developing skills to ensure your success as a Mentor or Mentee. We will cover active listening and other communication skills, do’s and don’ts of good mentoring, topics to bring to the mentoring sessions and how to get the most out of your Mentoring relationship.

Step 6) First Mentoring Program period – June-November
The actual Mentoring sessions will begin in June and last for six months. Mentoring pairs will meet for one hour or more per month, in person, via phone or video-conference.

Step 7) Check-in’s and satisfaction survey – June-November
We will be checking-in with each Mentoring pair throughout the program to ensure the Mentoring relationships are running smoothly. Coaching on the mentoring process will be available to those interested. Further, a survey will be carried out at the end of the first period to gauge participant satisfaction and gather ideas for future improvements.

Post-program publication – December
Finally, we will be collecting participant feedback at the end of the program to include their takeaways, experiences, and recommendations to others in an official PWA Mentoring post-program publication.

If you have further questions about the application process or about the program itself, please don’t hesitate to contact us at professional@pwa-milan.org
• Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
• Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator

You may have already heard about the flagship event we have planned for our members this year, but for those of you who haven’t, we are excited to unveil PWA Milan’s Mentoring Program.

The PWA Milan Mentoring Program is the first of its kind for our association, and is spearheaded by Valerie Ryder, Director of Professional Development. Between 20 and 30 members will have the opportunity to participate as Mentors or Mentees in the initial period of the program, meeting for a minimum of one hour per month for six months. The launch will take place in May and the first edition will last through November of this year.

Why Is Mentoring Important?
Mentoring plays a critical role in the advancement of women professionals in all sectors. Lack of mentoring, exclusion from networks, and absence of women role models are cited as the key barriers to career advancement for women. A mentoring relationship can provide structure for the development of individual skills and leadership abilities.

How Does Mentoring Work?
A mentoring relationship is based around the Mentor sharing her professional experience and knowledge with a Mentee. It is not advice, coaching or counseling. It may address specific personal projects, business successes or general conditions in the mentee’s profession. For more information the definition of mentoring, please see the related article entitled “What Is Mentoring All About” here.

The success of mentoring depends directly on the engagement of both parties and responsibility of both for their own progress, which are demonstrated in concrete actions. The success is measured as the achievement of the initial goals and the satisfaction of the Mentee and Mentor with the mentoring relationship.

Mentor as Role Model
Many of you are mentors and might not even know it! All of us have accomplished various goals, overcome barriers, reached career heights, and have general life and professional experience. As women we tend to downplay our successes and perhaps not realize what we have to offer to others in terms of our professional and personal experiences. Perhaps someone could benefit greatly from the wisdom and knowledge you’ve gained through your experience. Think of a role model or mentor in your life that has inspired you in some way – what became possible for you because of this person? Imagine how it would feel to be a role model for an aspiring mentee?

The importance of having a role model and someone to look up to can not only be inspiring, but absolutely necessary for some who may not believe it’s possible for them to achieve their goals. Mentoring can offer the pathway for women to have professional role models they need to ignite them towards increased professional success.

Apply for the Mentoring Program

Keep an eye out for upcoming communication about how to apply as a Mentor or Mentee in the Mentoring Program. In the meantime, if you would like to participate or would like to have more information, contact us at professional@pwa-milan.org
• Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
• Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Team Member

We are excited about the upcoming implementation of the PWA mentoring program and would like to share not only our enthusiasm with you, but also some important information on mentoring in general. Over the next few months you will find a series of informative articles on mentoring, of which this is the first, in the newsletter and on our website.

So what is mentoring, after all?

Mentoring is a voluntary, not-for-profit relationship between two individuals who each take a defined role: The Mentor is a person with relevant knowledge and experience, while the Mentee is a person who wants to learn from the mentor for her personal and professional development. All PWA members are welcome to apply to participate, for free, as mentors or mentees in the upcoming Mentoring Program. For more general information please see the related article entitled “Introducing the PWA Mentoring Program” here.

The basic concept and process of mentoring is simple and straightforward: Mentoring is a relationship that is created to share knowledge and experience for learning in a purposeful way.

To share knowledge and experience refers to the fact that age and seniority are no longer the decisive factors for choosing a mentor with the experience required to face today’s challenges. The traditional form of mentoring, characterized by a “wise elder mentoring the protégé(e)”, has given way to new, more egalitarian forms of mentoring. In the PWA Mentoring Program, there is no minimum age or seniority requirement for mentors.

For learning in a purposeful way is where the key strength of the mentoring process lies. The relationship is based on learning – and effective learning needs a clear purpose to prevent mentoring from becoming just another opportunity to talk with a friend. In our Mentoring Program, each mentee will have clearly specified her objective(s) upfront.

Mentoring vs. Coaching

There is a common misconception floating around: that mentoring can provide the same benefits as coaching, and vice versa. Mentoring has sometimes even been referred to as “poor man’s coaching”.

The two indeed have a number of areas in which they overlap. Both mentor and coach need to share their knowledge in a way conducive to learning. Moreover, both mentee and coachee are responsible for their own learning. Mentoring and coaching are about bringing out the very best in people by listening, asking questions and providing feedback. They are both developmental relationships.

In truth, mentoring and coaching require different skills and knowledge. Mentoring and coaching differ in that a coach needs to be an expert in the areas and skills required to foster her client’s development, while a mentor has specific knowledge or a particular experience the mentee is looking for.

The mentor and coach have different roles in the learning process. A coach is responsible for the challenge of stimulating and guiding the coachee to reach a higher level of her potential. In short, a coach applies coaching skills in order to help others to learn rather than to teach them. A mentor, as role model, shares relevant experiences, and leaves it to the mentee to apply the knowledge in a way that best suits her purpose.

For more information on the PWA Mentoring Program, contact us at professional@pwa-milan.org
Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Team Member

Some of the information contained in this article has been loosely excerpted from the book “Women@Work No.7: Mentoring – A Powerful Tool for Women”, edited by Therese Torris and published by the EuropeanPWN. It is available for purchase at www.EuropeanPWN.net

A FEW years ago, I changed jobs, moving from the beverage industry to the biopharmaceutical industry. I didn’t know how to get ahead in the new environment, however, so I turned to a mentoring program. I’d recommend finding a mentor for help with your career. If you’re open to what you hear and have realistic expectations, I can’t think of a downside.

Read full article here

Past and recent studies and experiences show how relevant advice is and how mentors have been and are important in the professional life of leading men and women .

Fortune devotes the cover story to “The best advice I ever got”, asking a host of influential leaders to share with us the wise words that changed their lives forever.

The cover article focuses on what it was like growing up Gates as both father and son reflect on the advice that has influenced their careers (read the article “Best advice: Gates on Gates“).

Find both short interviews and videos online

This interview of Jacqueline Kosecoff, chief executive of Prescription Solutions, a UnitedHealth Group company, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant. Read full article here

Seventh in the EuropeanPWN Women@Work series, this book presents some of the most innovative and successful mentoring programmes currently in deployment in Europe. These programmes, which involve men and women in Amsterdam, Geneva, London, Madrid, Nice and Paris, were designed to foster the professional progress of women. Each contributor has experimented with all the different mentoring methods available and created their own unique approaches. In this book, they divulge their first-hand experiences, provide valuable insights, and share lessons learned. These are then brought together to create practical guidelines. Women@Work No. 7 aims to inspire mentees, mentors, program coordinators and managers of corporate talent to use the powerful tool of mentoring and make it their own. The book was edited by PWN France member Therese Torris.
The book is available at PWA events.