What's Standing in Your Way?
APRIL 2021 NEWSLETTER
During our latest webinar on the topic of supporting diverse talent on their career journey, we heard from leaders across the fields of HR, DE&I, and L&D about the challenges they face.
The top hurdles were identified as a lack of mentors, coaches, or sponsors, and the absence of an effective model.
In follow up conversations, we heard that in many cases, it was an organization's leadership that held the power and position to step up and play a crucial role in helping an organization overcome these hurdles:
"...what I've seen work is a true focus on high-potential, high performing diverse talent is spot-lighted, invested in from a development perspective and matched with a senior executive (preferably C-suite) who is in service of the diverse talent's success and provides coaching and mentoring and advocates for the individual when key roles open up in the company."
"...leaders in my org need to be more intentional about whom they choose to mentor and whom they choose to elevate in conversations for high visibility initiatives....they have to lead by example, step away from who is most familiar and begin to mentor and sponsor talented, diverse employees with leadership potential, not just those who look like themselves."
What is keeping your organization from making progress?
Best & Healthy Wishes,
Team Ceresa
Growing Diverse Leaders | Starting with Self-Work and Trust
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
In our conversation with Jig Grooms, Lance Matthiesen, and Dr. Ashley Stafford, we discussed meaningful day-to-day approaches leaders can implement to drive inclusion and build trust in support of the development of their diverse talent. We hope this is a helpful conversation that provides you new insights on the needs of diverse talent and practical guidance on how best to support their leadership development.
Mentors, Sponsors, Coaches... what's the difference?
CERESA PERSPECTIVES
“What is a mentor?”
"What's the difference between a mentor and a sponsor?"
These questions come up often in our conversations with leaders who are looking to provide the right kind of support for their diverse talent. Whether they're seeking clarification for themselves or seeking buy-in from their leadership team for a program, it's helpful to have a clear understanding of the differences and commonalities across these support roles.
Check out our handy reference guide to help you understand the differences and commonalities across different types of support needed for career growth and success.
Additional Resources
👂 Attracting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce: Context Can Build Trust National Academy of Sciences podcast
📖 15 Signs You Need a Career Coach Bustle.com article
📽️ How to Find the Person Who Can Help You Get Ahead at Work Carla Harris YouTube video
Can we help?
We'd love to hear more about your development goals for your diverse talent. Please contact us if we can ever be of service to you and your teams.
Impact Report
The Ceresa community continued to grow our collective impact, despite the challenges of 2020. We hold ourselves accountable for this impact. We're proud to share our Impact Report.
“I absolutely LOVED mentoring my mentee. She was motivated, engaged, and worked hard on her journey for the entire time.
I feel the tools provided are great for mentors to use and prepare for each session. I honestly wouldn’t change anything about the mentor experience from the Ceresa side. I am so thankful for the opportunity to give back, and I would absolutely mentor again…”