How Mentorship, Sponsorship & Allyship Drive Workplace DEI
Posted On May 4, 2021New MENtor Allyship Pilot Program
Research shows that when individuals who identify as men are deliberately engaged in gender inclusion programs, 96% of individuals who identify as women in those organizations perceive real progress in gender equality, compared with only 30% of those in organizations without this engagement.
Camber supports Partners as they activate equitable and inclusive cultures of mentorship and sponsorship across the Outdoor Recreation Economy. Our signature Ann Krcik Professional Mentoring Program has evolved to better equip participants to be workplace DEI leaders in today’s corporate environment. However, the mentoring landscape requires activation and support of individuals who identify as men and who currently hold many leadership positions across the Outdoor Recreation Economy to engage meaningfully in the advancement of those underrepresented in workplaces.
Although strong mentoring relationships have the capacity to transform individuals and entire organizations, evidence consistently shows that individuals who identify as women face more barriers in securing mentorships than those who identify as men, and when they do find a mentor, they may reap a narrower range of both career and psychological benefits. When individuals who identify as men lean into the roles of ally and mentor, demonstrating awareness, commitment, and humility, they are positioned to help level the playing field for others at work, encouraging colleagues to achieve their highest potential.
In May and June of 2021, thanks to the support of KEEN, Camber will launch the Camber MENtor Allyship Pilot Program for a cohort of senior leaders at our Partner companies who identify as men to learn strategies for mentoring and allyship. This innovative, multi-faceted program will serve as another model for senior leader engagement in mentoring informed by diversity, equity, and inclusion. The program will launch with a two-session / three-hour curriculum with certification, for a cohort of 25 executives representing a variety of organizations.
The Program will be co-facilitated by Dr. W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D. – Department of Leadership, Ethics & Law, United States Naval Academy and Dr. David G. Smith, Ph.D. – College of Leadership & Ethics, United States Naval War College.
Dr. Brad Johnson and Dr. David G. Smith’s training will provide practical, research-based strategies to:
- Build mentoring fluency, intelligence, and awareness
- Sharpen practical skills around mentoring, sponsoring, and collaborating effectively with individuals who identify as women
- Equip individuals who identify as men to make allyship part of their individual leader brand, deliberately sponsoring talented individuals who identify as women for promotion and creating policies and procedures around hiring, pay, flexible work arrangements, promotion, and pay equity.
- Focus on how the ally, mentor, and sponsor skills around gender also apply to other groups such as racial and ethnic minorities – particularly individuals with intersectional identities.
To join the interest list for the Camber MENtor Allyship Program, click HERE.
