“Organizations that retain and promote top talent-both female and male-are more likely to thrive,” write two men who have long been concerned about the struggle of women to earn a place at the leadership table; W. Brad Johnson and David Smith, naval officers, college professors. However, there is a consensus in shipping industry that a handful of shipping organizations lack balance in diversity and there is another consensus in global business world that if an organization needs more women, then men in powerful positions need to support their ascension.
As men concerned about the future of our organizations and the glaring gender gap in, we must work to create effective networks and constellations of support for the women we champion.
… W. Brad Johnson and David Smith.
The importance of mentoring women
Indeed, mentoring women is worth the investment in both time and resources. The reason why? Balance. Men sponsoring women help in promoting this “underrepresented minority group” by taking positive steps to get them together with them to the top. By doing that both mentors and mentees are reaping the benefits as the first group will be applauded for diversity and the latter for career success and increased satisfaction. While organizational benefits include development of leadership talent, boost of motivation and improved retention rates.
4 ways to approach mentoring women in today’s shipping industry
- Seek out women protégés
Have you ever wondered how diverse is your current network of protégés? The real challenge is to ensure that you are actively managing mentoring opportunities beyond the men who show up at your door every day and seek out more women mentees while at the same time you create a male mentor – female protégé relationship.
- Be the helper
Male mentors are said to act as a protectors and helpers, indicating that they are powerful and dominant while a female protégé may rely excessively on her male mentor for guidance and advice, passing out that she cannot act autonomously.
- Empathize women
Harvard Business Review writes that the experience of empathy enhances mentee’s positive sense of self and facilitate self-disclosure, which increases trust and enables both to share unique experiences.
- Raise their visibility
Assist your women mentees in building a broad network, raise their visibility as a competent candidate for promotion in formal and informal conversations.
According to BCG research, diverse leadership teams perform better: they are more innovative and generate higher performance. In this context, a new mindset is the first priority for an actual change.
There are a lot of men that want the change too. We need to include the men in our conversations and work together to create the future of the maritime industry that we want.
Lena Göthberg, producer of Shipping Podcast, pinpointed during an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA.
