I don’t want nobody To give me nothing
Open up the door
I’ll get it myself
These are the lyrics to one of James Brown’s hits from way back when and they still ring true for many of us trying to be successful today. I thought of this song as I looked at my copy of “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg and I thought it just as good a time as any to pen a blog about mentorship. I’ve been thinking about this from the perspective of the industry I work in: public relations. In PR, women generally outnumber men at agencies, both on the client side and in the non-profit space; however, we often struggle with the same inequity among women in positions of power. And when you account for women of color, the numbers are even worse.
A recent article in the New York Times by Peggy Drexler talked about the “queen bee syndrome” still being in full effect in the workplace. Defined by the article, the “queen bee” is the “female boss who not only has zero interest in fostering the careers of women who aim to follow in her footsteps, but who might even actively attempt to cut them off at the pass.” I attended a networking function late last year with a group of women of color in communications. Several of them shared their unique experiences at larger firms where they struggled with second-guessing themselves, questioning their place on the team and opportunities for mobility, and above all, the lack of mentorship within the organization- especially with other female leaders. This attitude is rampant within our industry and sheds light on why true mentorship is so extremely important.
A dynamic mentor can help navigate those arduous seas of politics and politicking that takes place at companies. Mentors don’t always have to be the seasoned professional whose career one wants to mold theirs after and who may have many folks already vying for a mentee spot. Emerging PR pros should seek out several mentors via a diverse Board of Directors: peer-to-peer mentors, professionals from other industries, and those within the industry. Mentors may not always share the same background or culture as the person they are mentoring, but they should have a sincere commitment and interest in seeing their mentee be successful. I started this post talking about the numbers of women and men in the industry; it will take all of us to help put diverse women in positions of power in the communications field. After all, this business is about building relationships and brands and so it should follow suit that the path to success involves using the very same tactics. It also involves opening more doors.
Leave a Reply