It’s been said that prospective mentees look for mentors with whom they can relate on matters such as age, culture, ethnicity, or gender. Said another way, if mentees don’t see a prospective mentor that looks like them in some way, they won’t be able to visualize themselves in that role.
Actual experience, however, teaches us differently. Consider the following 3 real world examples:
- Condoleeza Rice, the first female African-American Secretary of State
Her first mentor was Josef Korbel, a Soviet specialist and professor of International Politics at Denver University. A subsequent mentor was Brent Scowcroft, the U.S. National Security Advisor under Presidents Ford and Bush. At Scowcroft’s invitation, Rice served on the U.S. National Security Council as a Soviet expert. Later President Bush asked Rice to serve as in his cabinet as Secretary of State.
- Matthew Towles, Assistant Professor of English, Liberty University and contributor to The Atlantic
Quoting from Towles: “…aside from a very few brief instances, I have rarely had male professional mentors. Whether it’s a reflection of my chosen career path or my generation, I’m not certain, but my professional mentors have nearly all been women From my undergraduate advisor, to my master’s thesis chair, to my dissertation chair, to my current job, my professional mentoring relationships have all been guided by women.”
- Nikki Haley (Nimratta Nikki Randhawa Haley), the first female governor of South Carolina, and the second U.S. Indian-American governor
Haley is perhaps best known for her recent service as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Haley herself sought out a mentor for the new-to-her duties as U.N. Ambassador. She chose Henry Kissinger, considered by many to be among the most effective Secretaries of State in the post-Lyndon Johnson era. Haley met with Kissinger on a regular basis during her time at the U.N.
In each of these 3 examples, the successful mentor/mentee relationship was built on mentors who were competent, involved and generous in sharing their insights and expertise for the benefit of their mentee and for the larger objectives both mentor and mentee sought to achieve.
Michael Towles quotes sourced at: https://tinyurl.com/yy2unzdz
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