The Women's Chamber new mentoring program is designed with a casual structure, welcoming atmosphere and a new philosophy of mentoring. Rather than formally pairing seasoned professionals with young pros, individuals will create and establish their own mentoring opportunities within activities planned by the Mentoring committee.
The Mentoring Program provides opportunities to attain the skills and knowledge for both personal development and career advancement. Through educational events and one‐on‐one connections, Women's Chamber Members will have a solid foundation for future growth in their professional and personal lives.
"As a Career Expert for the last 18 years, I know the benefits that my clients have received as a result of a positive mentoring experience including increased confidence, improved decision-making, and greater success. According to one study, 75% of executives interviewed say mentoring has played a key role in their career success. Mentoring can positively impact someone within an organization, in career transition, and throughout a lifetime." - Aimee Cohen, Cohen Career Consulting
How It Works
- Participants sign up for the mentoring program through the CWCC. Once signed up, an evaluation form will be sent to them to allow them to describe their experience, expertise and mentoring goals.
- Members will attend mentoring events and activities to control who they connect with. Participants will actively seek out connections from others in the CWCC mentoring network.
- Once connected, relationships will progress over email, telephone or face‐to‐face is possible. The CWCC Mentoring Committee will collect data from the mentors reports and offer support and resources at every step along the way.
Benefits of Mentoring Program
- It's someone to turn to for advice: There's no boss any more to turn to for advice or direction—maybe not even any employees yet. You don't have to fly solo. Everybody needs a good reliable sounding board, second opinion, and sometimes just emotional support.
- It's someone who's walked in your shoes: Learn from others' mistakes and successes. Mentors and mentee don't have to have experience in the same industry. They don't have to be up on the latest trends or technology—there are other sources for that. A mentor's role is to share lessons from their experience in the hopes that the mentee can learn them a bit more quickly and easily.
- It's free. If you're on a tight budget, that's a major factor. While good coaches and consultants may be able to offer some things that a mentor doesn't, it comes at a price. Through the CWCC Mentoring Program, mentors are readily available free of charge – with the occasional price of treating them to lunch or coffee!
- It can expand your social network. CWCC mentors, being experienced business professionals, are likely to have an extensive network. And, they will be far more willing to open that network up to you than some casual acquaintance from a networking meeting.
- It's a trusted relationship. CWCC mentors have no ulterior motive—no service or product to sell you. That combined with their experience creates a good foundation for trust. And as the relationship develops over time, that trust can grow even stronger. Also, your time with them becomes more and more efficient as they become more and more familiar with you and your business.
Mentor Hotline - Tele-Mentor
The Mentoring Committee is adding a new method of accessing a mentor which doesn’t require a long term commitment and has the advantage of getting you “just in time mentoring.” We call it “Tele-Mentor” and it works like a Hotline or Helpline. Tele-Mentor is designed to be able to quickly give you information or an answer to a question without having to commit to an ongoing relationship. It is not designed for more serious interventions, counseling or coaching. It works best for issues that arise in the workplace when you need a more immediate response, say within 48 hours, the information can be exchanged by telephone, and the encounter lasts no more than 20 minutes.
Here's how it works, read the mentoring committee bios, select one that you believe has the career or industry background that is most applicable to your situation. Call her/him and inquire whether they have time in the next day or two to talk, schedule the time and date and follow through. The same conditions of confidentiality and mutual respect apply as with our other mentoring methods.
Please tell us about your experiences. Call Nancy Walsh at 303-458-0220 with questions
Mentee’s Application
CWCC Mentoring Fact Sheet
"The Mentoring Program Is..." Document
Mentor Application
Read the Current CWCC Mentor Bios
Developing and Retaining Women Leaders - What's the Secret? Article on Mentoring by Donna Evans, President and CEO of the CWCC