Who Do I Run to? Finding a Mentor and Building Mentor Relationships

Abstract

Increasingly, it is becoming less of a surprise to see African Americans in positions of power as business owners or company executives. Despite these achievements, though, many women lament the difficulty in finding and establishing mentor relationships. The ability to establish relationships tends to be hampered due to the executive’s increased responsibilities and limited time to perform in those roles. Often, unless you are privy to these circles, there is a lack of knowledge that these women even hold these positions of influence and power. Further, many people have “mentor vision,” in that they have a specific vision for what their mentor will look like, how the relationship will develop, and the role the mentor will play. In reality, mentor relationships can take many forms, including formal or informal; career, company, or industry specific; or long standing or short term, to name a few.