Mentoring leaders across race and gender lines: Insight from US Army officers

Abstract

The importance of mentoring to career development is well recognized; yet practice does not always follow theory, often to the exclusion of minorities and women. Interviews with 13 US Army officers representing various backgrounds highlighted several inequities that have been reported in previous organizational research. The inquiry also emphasized the need for organizational leaders to create a common operating picture to improve the execution of their mentoring programs, ensure ongoing mentoring throughout staff members' careers, and identify and eliminate barriers to mentoring based on race or gender. Although such efforts may require a paradigm shift in organizational practices and culture, they are essential to ensuring equity in the workplace, robust leadership development, a high level of commitment and performance, and success at all levels.