Mentoring Programs Won’t Forward DEI Without Intention
"More leaders are working to harness diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at their organizations."
This is a short yet very insightful article which covers the barrier that informal mentoring presents;a few signs of a careless mentoring program, and practical ways to build an intentionally inclusive mentoring program.
The Barrier That Informal Mentoring Presents
Signs of a Careless Mentoring Program
- They lack purpose. They do not have a designated goal to work toward. They also often don’t have a connection back to an overall DEI strategy or culture change in the organization.
- They lack accountability. Without a structure for mentors and mentees to follow, they often fail to achieve their goals, if they set any at all.
- They lack impact. Without measures of success or benchmarks to indicate a program is impactful, they don’t know what’s working and what’s not.
How to Build an Intentionally Inclusive Mentoring Program
- State your intention
- Recruit Intentionally
- Train intentionally
- Measure intentionally