Is Mentorship Your Calling?

Is Mentorship Your Calling?

by | May 8, 2023 | Blog

Is Mentoring Your Calling?

Remember when you were a kid, and your dream was to grow up and help people?

Doctors and teachers are not the only heroes. Marketing professionals can also help people. By becoming a mentor, you can find great joy and fulfillment in giving back to our community.

Unfortunately, studies show that women are often underrepresented in mentorship programs. According to the Women in the Workplace 2022 report by McKinsey & Company, women are less likely to have access to senior-level mentors, and as a result, they miss out on valuable opportunities for career development.

What makes a great mentor?

Are you passionate about sharing your knowledge ad experience?

Are you good at asking questions and being a active listener?

Do you give honest and candid feedback?

If you toggled yes and are a senior marketer,

The MarketHER Group invites you to:

Provide a safe space for women to discuss challenges they face in the workplace. And provide guidance on how to navigate difficult situations and offer insights on how to succeed in a male-dominated field.

Give another woman greater visibility and exposure. You can introduce your mentees to new contacts and opportunities and help them build a strong professional network.

Offer training and support to help their mentees develop their abilities, whether it’s in marketing strategy, leadership, or communication.

The SheSuite program provides a unique opportunity for women in marketing to give back to their community while also enhancing their own skills and knowledge. By becoming a SheSuite mentor, you can help another woman find greater success and career satisfaction.

Apply to be a mentor

Read: Veronica and Natalie’s success story

DEI is Easy

DEI is Easy

by | May 8, 2023 | Blog

DEI is Easy

We’re hearing it everywhere. People are saying that DEI doesn’t work.

What’s the problem? You ask. They say current leadership wants things to stay the same because the system is working for them. 🤦

When asked why he insisted on marching, knowing he would be beaten and jailed, MLK once replied, “We must look our adversaries in the eyes and force them to face our humanity.” Likewise, the conversation about making DEI work must first be directed toward those who feel that something they once perceived as secure is now threatened.

One MarketHER volunteer who is a minority female on an all-white male leadership team was asked to lead the DEI charge where she works. She was curious why the torch was being passed to her before the previous leader even had a chance to begin. “Word on the street is,” explained her colleague, “DEI isn’t working.” Given that he, too, belongs to a minority group, she expected him to be supportive. “I was surprised,” she admitted, “but I get it; if you have a choice, some simply will not have the courage to take a stand. We all desire to belong, especially with the winning team, as it makes life easier.”

Additionally, there’s the fear of losing one’s job. Or fear of change itself. So, we’re not here to judge. The desired result is to help the white male leadership foster a deeper understanding and empathize with the team’s struggles. Some will lose unfair advantages and may choose only to work where they can still get all the perks. However, some will share our values and strive for fairness. The outcome will be growth for everyone, leading to improved retention. It is truly remarkable how individuals can thrive when provided with equal opportunities and a supportive environment instead of one that opposes their growth.

How DEI Benefits the Company

Embracing DEI will not happen overnight. Yet, when companies do not prioritize DEI, they risk alienating employees and customers who value diversity. Employees will feel excluded, unsupported, and undervalued, decreasing engagement, productivity, and retention. In contrast, a company with a healthy DEI culture benefits from increased employee engagement, innovation, creativity, and better customer satisfaction.

According to a study conducted by McKinsey, companies with diverse executive teams are 33% more likely to outperform their peers on profitability. Additionally, companies with gender and ethnically diverse teams have a 25% higher likelihood of achieving above-average financial returns.

However, a company’s responsibility to prioritize DEI extends beyond its bottom line. By choosing to prioritize DEI, some companies are proving that it’s possible for everyone, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion to be a valued and respected team member and feel a sense of belonging.

Easy Adjustments Any Company Can Implement

In the article, 6 Ways To Level The Playing Field, Forbes writer Bianca Miller Cole outlines key components companies can implement to help ensure equal opportunities for all employees, including mentorship. Mentorship can help foster positive relationships within the company. Companies can include mentoring in managerial and departmental KPIs. 

In Tara Jaye Frank’s book, The Waymakers, Tara explains how building relationships is the key to equity in the workplace.

“Curiosity breeds familiarity. Familiarity makes way for trust. Trust builds relationships. Relationships open doors of opportunity. The only way we achieve equity is together.” – Author Tara Jaye Frank, The Waymakers

Easy Adjustments Everyone Can Make 

Effective communication is a soft skill we are all continuously honing. According to Inc.com, bridging the communication gap between men and women is essential to building better workplace relationships.

We’ll leave you with this, the video below is a light-hearted visual aid that explains how you can jump start your personal journey to embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Find out how The MarketHER Group is Helping

 

The MarketHER Group supports women marketers’ professional growth and development by offering leadership training and mentorship programs. If you are a CEO, CMO, or HR manager, we encourage you to sponsor a woman marketer or work with us to facilitate a mentorship program in your company. Women are an invaluable asset to any company. By investing in the success of women marketers, companies unlock their full potential and drive long-term employee engagement, innovation, and profitability.

Sponsor a member
Mentorship Matters

Mentorship Matters

by | Jan 21, 2023 | Blog

Mentorship Matters

“After five years of product marketing in a vacuum, I wanted to get out of my box and meet other marketers. I wanted to learn about their challenges and how they overcame them. I joined the American Marketing Association-DC chapter’s six-month mentorship program. I was paired with a 40-something-year-old Association MarCom Director, Veronica Holmes Purvis, CAE.” – Natalie Thomas

A Mentorship Story: Veronica Purvis & Natalie Thomas

told by Natalie Thomas

Veronica has a well-measured answer for everything. She is always encouraging but straightforward and honest. We met twice a month for an hour. Veronica is ambitious, but what impressed me most was how her drive is complimented by her kindness, generosity, poise, and confidence. She had high standards for making the best use of our time. Yet, her faith in me helped produce consistent progress. She listened attentively and worked with me to hone my personal career plan. We set goals and revamped my resume, LinkedIn page, and everything else mentors and proteges do. As busy as V was with her personal life and other professional pursuits, I had her absolute full attention for an hour every other week.

At the time of my virtual mentorship with Veronica, we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation for a fairly gregarious person like myself certainly enhanced my enthusiasm to make the most of the experience. Some of us may have gone our whole lives without getting much of the encouragement we needed to reach for our dreams. You feel incredibly empowered when someone as admirable as Veronica expresses confidence in you. You can soar on the winds of that person’s belief in you.

There are moments in life when you know something incredible is happening. I know that not everyone can have as exhilarating of an experience with their professional coach or mentor as I did. Yet, I highly recommend building a personal board of advisors to help you see your blind spots, provide feedback and resources and build a genuine connection with like-minded professionals.

Veronica reminded me to follow my dreams.

A wish you the best card from Veronica.

An unsolicited glowing LinkedIn recommendation.

Meet Natalie

Meet Natalie

by | Jan 21, 2023 | Blog

Natalie Thomas studied art, design, and creative writing at the Rhode Island School of Design. She became an artist, an educator, and then a graphic designer. Eventually, she landed in a place that finally felt like home. Natalie loves problem-solving and team building. So, the unlimited creative latitude she found in her first marketing position opened up a whole new world to Natalie.

Over time, Natalie built the marketing department from a solo operation to a five+ person team she led. She’s always been passionate about building communities and helping people reach their goals.

Today, she’s a Director of Marketing and Membership for a company that developed a community for community leaders. She also co-founded a boutique marketing consulting business and The MarketHER Group. Besides crafting a work-life balance that she loves, she can often be found relaxing in nature with family and friends, traveling, or sitting awestruck in a local theatre.

No matter where you are along your journey, MarketHER, like Natalie, is a meeting ground to chat, trade stories, share strategies, and have some laughs! MarketHER is not your aunties’ Facebook group. We are a safe space for women to say whatever is on their minds, get feedback, and be held accountable if they’re up for that. We’ll grow together, inspire each other, and wine and dine together too.

If you would like to host your local MarketHER in-person meetups, please reach out to us at [email protected].