This month we are highlighting the value of mentorship. There are many famous mentor/mentee relationships: Rey & Princess Leia, Oprah Winfrey & Maya Angelou, and Shiza Shahid & Malala Yousafzai. We are excited to announce that the WIT mentorship program opens today! Take a moment to read through these facts about the many benefits of mentorship.

In a five-year study of 1000 employees (Gartner 2006):

• 25% of employees who enrolled in a mentoring program had a salary-grade change, compared to only 5% of workers who did not participate
• Mentees are promoted five times more often than those not in a mentoring program
• Retention rates were higher for both mentees (22% more) and mentors (20% more) than for employees who did not participate in a mentoring program

For CEOs in formal mentoring programs (Harvard Business Review 2015):

• 84% said mentors had helped them avoid costly mistakes
• 84% become proficient in their roles faster
• 69% were making better decisions

• Research also shows:

  • Millennials intending to stay with their organization for more than five years are twice as likely to have a mentor (68%) than not (32%)
  • Participants are 40% more likely to achieve their goals if they write them down. This increases to 70% if the goals are shared with someone to keep them accountable, such as a mentor.
  • 89% of those mentored, go on to mentor themselves contributing to a culture of learning and mentoring

Something to Do

• WIT Coffee Hour
  October 6, 2021, 9:30 a.m. Join via Zoom.
• Join the Mentorship program!
  To apply, click here: WIT Mentorship Fall 2021 Application
• Mentorship 101: Anyone Can Be A Mentor
  October 7, 2021, 11 a.m. Join via Zoom.
  Email [email protected] for the slide deck if you can’t attend.
• NANOG 83 Minneapolis
  November 1-3, 2021
  Registration

Someone to Congratulate

Congratulations to Alona McCreary for her new role as Service Desk Student Supervisor!

If you or a WIT member you know has won an award or has an achievement that you would like to highlight please email [email protected] so we can share your accomplishment(s) in our next newsletter

Something to Listen To, Read, or Watch

• The Michelle Obama Podcast- Working Women: Valerie Jarrett and the Importance of Mentorship
• It’s not you, it’s me: An exploration of mentoring experiences for women in STEM

Want to Share?

Share a resource with The WIT Crowd. Let us know what it is and why it is valuable to you.

Get Involved!

Want to join UMN WIT? Let us know!

If you’d like to join any of our committees, have questions or ideas regarding how to get involved, contact [email protected]. 

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