Mentoring for Individuals: What to expect?

Learn to make your seat the table

Women often struggle to find their seat at the table, driven by self-doubt or the workplace culture. However, by virtue of your merit, you have as much of a voice as your male colleagues. There’s no reason for you not to claim your seat. Yet don’t assume others know you want a seat. Make it known and claim what’s rightfully yours. And walk into that seat gracefully, confidently and comfortably.

Unleash the Power of Choice

It is fair to say that our lives are but a sum of the choices you have made – same as an act of commission, others as a matter of omission. If that be so, what kind of choices do you make that empower you. Often women find it difficult to decide how much time and energy they can afford to devote towards their careers. They fight with their emotions on whether to take up new, larger responsibilities; whether they should assert themselves or go with the flow lest they are labeled as being aggressive. New mothers often struggle with the moral / social dilemma of childcare vs office. Remember, there are no right or wrong choices. But if you are deliberate and purposeful as you make these choices, with an overall vision for yourself, you will feel empowered. Know how.

Master the Art of Storytelling

Stories are your tool for increasing effectiveness of your communication and in the process, helping build your personal brand. It is easy to communicate using facts and figures. But, people listen better and remember longer if you tell a story. Is storytelling meant for everyone? Yes indeed. It is an art as well as a science. Learn how to think, design and deliver stories relevant to the audience and situation.

Build a brand that speaks for you

There are leaders you want to work with, and there are those that you don’t. Your followership reflects your leadership brand. Women leaders often make the mistake of emulating male behavior to be accepted. Whereas your authenticity, emotional intelligence and gravitas can go a long way in building a leadership brand that is well respected. If so, how does one go about one’s brand building deliberately and purposefully?

Let your stakeholders be your sponsor

Managing stakeholders is not just about managing their expectations. These stakeholders can be your advocates or even your sponsors. Viewed in this light, how can you manage the stakeholders differently? Know that managing stakeholders is a large part of senior level roles. And so it presents an opportunity to build purposeful relationships with them, and enhance your visibility. Easier said than done? Well not really.

Develop a Growth Mindset

Your achievements have been well recognized thus far, which gives you a sense of confidence that you have the competence. But remember your domain expertise and achievements may not carry you through to the next level. Organizations look for learning agility and growth mindset. Your ability to unlearn and learn will help you be flexible and adaptable. Do you know when and how you demonstrate a fixed mindset? And how you could build a growth mindset?

Show grace under fire: Learn to take risks & deal with failure

Women often play safe for the fear of failure and consequently tarnishing their image. And every now and then, when things go out of hand, they tend to take it personally and lose objectivity. This is one of the reasons why women stay away from senior roles as they entail taking risks, dealing with ambiguity and facing the flak. While we may be predisposed to responding in certain ways, we can cultivate our instincts to be more comfortable with risks and failures.

Raise your hand for help: It’s a sign of strength, and not a weakness

To know it all, to be able to do everything single handedly and to be great at everything – these are myths. The sooner you bust them, the better off you will be. Acknowledging your limits and constraints might make you feel vulnerable, but it is the beginning of something more powerful. It is the beginning of identifying learning opportunities, building relationships that complement your expertise and also respecting others’ constraints. When in need, raise your hand!