Thanks for the Advice — Now Please Promote Me

I wrote this in 2013 for the Huffington Post. In 2013 we flirted with the concept that women deserved equal space in the business sector. Now we march with that idea and I hope this opinion piece adds to the conversation!

We’ve all heard the saying: You can teach a horse to drink but if you want him to be well hydrated, you have to bring him to water. Actually, we’ve never heard that saying because the saying doesn’t exist, but my paraphrase of the proverb seems to summarize nicely the state of career mentoring for women today.

I am a strong advocate for mentors and I am an even stronger advocate for mentors for women, both internally within companies and as entrepreneurs. My second venture achieved early success thanks to the thoughtful guidance of my own mentor. However, looking back years later, I realize that my success was not based on his mentoring alone but that he also brought me to the water.

The benefits of mentoring are undeniable. Mentoring is accepted as an important and even necessary tool in helping individuals advance in their careers. Individual and personal guidance is now seen as an integral component of leadership programs, and mentoring programs which focus on women are considered even more important as women move up the corporate ladder. So why, with such a strong emphasis on mentorship, and with programs specifically designed for women, are women still under-represented in higher-ranking or leadership positions?