We have all heard of mentorship.  Many of us have had mentees and mentors in the past.  Sponsorship goes a step above and involves championing that person in their career.  Speaking their name when they are not in the room, and advocating for that person.  I am on a weekly call with an amazing group of women.  Many of them are in fact, mentors and sponsors to others, and all have inspired me.  This group of fab females grows and morphs each week and we have perfected the art of supporting each other both on and off the calls.  What started out as a weekly gathering just as a catch up has grown into a purposeful group. 

The women on this call have a wide variety of jobs in tech and a wealth of combined experiences.  On a recent call, one of the members asked if we could help out a young woman that had not quite completed her college degree (about a year shy), but that is very sharp, and although this young woman hadn’t quite finished her degree, she was working on scholarships to pay it forward to help the next generation of talent.   To start, how impressive is that!?! 

This one simple ask rallied the troops and shows the real power when like minded people get together for a bigger purpose, and women work to uplift other women or other young talent for that matter.  The introduction between these two women was random, but these two really hit it off.  While one is mentoring the other, the group collectively took on the role of Cultivator.  Cultivators provide direction, guidance, introductions and help shape visions.  We identified ways to cultivate this young woman’s dreams of creating a scholarship, working towards finding her a meaningful job with benefits, networking her with local like-minded mentors with similar visions, and giving this young woman a leg up.  The cultivation begins…

Cultivation is the act of taking one under your wing without a fixed purpose like a mentor, and bring them into your circle with the mindset to not just help them in a job, but help them realize their dreams and have an impact on their life and livelihood.  It’s a hand up to someone deserving.   It’s taking a leap of faith in someone you feel is deservice.  Sometimes you have to cultivate a person, and help them find their talent before you can mentor it.  Although, as shown, sponsorship was at work with the simple ask.  

But where would this young woman be without someone taking the initiative by sponsoring her and making that ask?   How much better would this industry be in terms of diversity and inclusion if everyone could cultivate one person’s journey on and off the job?  How great is it that we have the opportunity to make that difference?  It certainly wasn’t a huge time drain, the collective power of the group was swift to act and committed to help. 

A while back, I shared a post about women in tech and how few of us there are in all roles, the attrition rate, etc.  Someone commented that you should, “just hire people and let the diversity numbers fall where they may.”  Yet companies have proven time and again that diversity is profitable.  Young people starting their careers look at the boards of the companies at which they aspire to work and simply don’t apply if they don’t see themselves represented.  Only 7.4% of the Fortune 500 have women leadership and these companies represent two-thirds of the American economy.  California recently made it mandatory for publicly traded companies in their state to have female board members.  Goldman Sachs stated that they will not take a company public without female representation on the board.

So, if companies aren’t stepping up, what is the path forward for women and other diverse people?  In short, cultivators.  We collectively have the power to make a difference. But many women and people from diverse backgrounds, like the one mentioned here, don’t get a chance because they had to drop out of school just shy of a degree.  According to educationdata.org,“nearly 40% of college graduates end up working jobs that don’t require degrees and even more are working in fields that are not what they went to school for.”The reasons cited for people dropping out, often are not the fault of the student.  According to that same study, 55% of students that drop out do so because of financial pressure, family support, or physical and mental health problems.  There are lots of people that fall in that category that could use a cultivating hand up.

Without someone (or a group of someone’s) making it a point to be present in her life, the path for for this young woman’s success would be harder.  Although, she has her heart in the right place, which is half the battle, provided it doesn’t get squashed in the process. The truth is that there are a lot people that would be great talent in these open jobs if someone would just take a chance.  They would be loyal to the employer that took that interest.  And best of all, they would bring a different experience to the table that has been proven time and time again to be invaluable to a business.  How diverse are you really if you expect to only hire people with the exact same training, degrees, and experiences?  

I encourage everyone to take a minute to reach out and get to know people that don’t “tick your boxes,” not as a piece of paper, but as a person.  The woman that brought her to our attention certainly didn’t have to take time from her day to strike up a conversation with this young woman.  But she did.  I encourage everyone to make a little time for someone else.  I for one and immensely proud to be in a circle of people that care to be the difference.  Through our differences we are collectively better.  I for one, am better for the friendship of these amazing women and men men in my circle.