Mentoring For Women

NAPW Mentoring For Professional Women

Mentoring can certainly help you raise the bar on your professional career path. Mentoring for professional women has benefits for both the mentor and 'mentee'. Choosing a woman as a mentor has extra bonuses too. Though mentoring can at first seem a little scary, if you want to really get ahead, there is nothing quite like it.

In sense when you become a 'mentee' you are giving someone else permission to examine you closely and to give feedback. You are opening up and having someone else see what you are doing and question you and your goals will ultimately help you achieve the current goals you have and drive you to see new ones. A good mentor can show you what you are really capable of and inspire you on to greater things.

When you have a mentor you are entrusting much of yourself to that person. This is why choosing a woman as a mentor is a good idea. You have the added benefit of having a person who really understands professional womens issues. You don't have to explain them or what they are. Trying to juggle career and family, trying to make it in a male dominated field, coping with particular women's issues are things a woman mentor will relate to and understand.

Having a mentor helps you to focus clearly on what you are currently doing and where you are going. You could say that a mentor can see the 'woods' as they have already been through the trees. A good mentor can help bring clarity to your path as a professional woman. Focusing in on your goals, seeing how you can achieve them, modifying them if necessary is one of the main things a mentor can help with.

A mentor can also often spark off a wealth of new ideas and inspire you onto new projects, goals and ideas. She can also point you in the right direction to get those new ideas moving and working. Most women find that when they have a good mentor they find a new sense of motivation. Women who have hit a brick wall in their thinking or careers often just need a little boost and push in the right direction to get that drive going again.

A mentor inspires and empowers. There is nothing quite like the support of another professional woman to make you see what you are capable of. Someone who believes in you and says, 'Yes, you can!'

An interesting thing about successful professional women is that nearly all of them have a desire to give something back to the world, to make a difference. This is why professional women make such great mentors. It is empowering and meaningful for the mentor too to help another woman on her road to success.

Mentoring is great for professional women in achieving both short term and long term goals. It is a give and take experience on both sides that results in empowerment, learning and clarity of vision.

Please note that these views are not necessarily those of NAPW. The National Association of Professional Women allows members and affiliates to post articles of interest to its blog, however these articles are not representative of the views of NAPW.

Why Networking Works for Professional Women

The National Association of Professional Women allows members and affiliates to post articles of interest to the NAPW blog. These blog posts in no way represent the views of NAPW.

Most of us are aware that networking is important, if not vital, to professional success. Networking everywhere has its place but there are some extra advantages to be found in woman to woman networking. In my opinion, the very nature of being women is what makes it work. Women think like women.

Professional women focus on the relationship rather than on the perceived business benefits. Relationships are the real essence of successful networking. Women, in general, understand relationship building. We understand values like trust, support, empathy and friendship. This doesn't mean every woman gets along with every other woman of course, but I've found that women do tend to open up more to each other and to build relationships quickly and easily.

Women, on the whole, are more relaxed and authentic with other women. It is easy to find things to talk about, including your professional and personal goals, or what you are doing. Asking questions often comes more naturally in an all-woman environment.

Networking woman to woman relies more on that trust factor rather than on pure self-promotion. For professional women who have stayed away from networking out of feeling shy, lacking self-confidence, or simply hating the thought of actively promoting themselves, building relationships and trust with other women is a lot easier.

Professional women understand professional women's issues. Things like self-esteem as a woman in a professional world, balancing home and work life, feeling fulfilled as a person and so on. Professional women take these issues and each other seriously.

For women who may be trying to build a home business, working alone, developing relationships with other like-minded professional women can be extremely uplifting as well as have positive business benefits. It can feel pretty lonely sometimes trying to make it on your own and often family and friends don't quite understand, or you may feel judged. Building a network with professional women who do understand can give you that extra boost to keep going. The other great thing about networking through organizations like NAPW is you never quite know where it will lead, perhaps a new joint venture partner, perhaps an idea for a different direction, or perhaps just a great new friendship.

Joining a women's networking group like NAPW, The National Association of Professional Women, is a great way to learn about new developments and thoughts on professional women's issues too. Attending seminars or meetings can be a great way to really get those relationships happening and to keep up with what is going on in your own field and in other professional areas. Meeting new people, finding out what others are doing can keep you inspired and spark off creative energy.

Whether you are on the look out for a new job, just want to help other women succeed, or want to get your business and yourself noticed networking is incredibly powerful. This is not to say professional women should not be networking with men - they should, simply that in my personal opinion woman to woman networking adds extra value all around.