Global Director of Talent Partnerships – Dentsu
In your opinion, what qualities make a “Moves Mentor”?
A moves mentor is woman who is generous with her time and honesty. Both of which require a high level of courage and vulnerability to share with others. It’s so important to take the time to step away from the chaos of our day-to-day careers and personal lives and invest it into our future leaders; as every moment dedicated to educating and inspiring them, impacts the decisions that will be made for decades to come. Our future leaders need to know our context and our current motivations. They need to understand how we got to where we are today; as well as some guidance on how to get to where they want to be in their own futures. We’re the ones that have that information, and therefor despite any time and age constrictions society may impose on us today, and regardless of whether our versions of the truth are challenged by existing power constructs, we have the responsibility to see to it that the next generation of leaders is properly equipped for what’s to come.
How does mentoring benefit the mentor? Career-wise? Intellectually? Spiritually? Socially? Any other “-allys”?
Mentoring has always been the best way for me to learn about myself and the ever-changing world around me. The more of my personal history and experiences that I pour into future leaders, the more they share with me how culture is shifting and how some things can be done more differently today, than they may have been done when I was beginning my career.
Should mentorship be a company requirement or a personal give-back?
I believe genuine and impactful mentorship is a personal give-back, as it requires a deep personal connection between the mentor and mentee. I think it’s great that some companies provide opportunities for executive leaders to connect with a younger generation of professionals, but the true experience of having a mentee or a mentor is rooted in friendship to make space for vulnerable conversations and friendships develop naturally between participating parties.
What is your mentorship method? Do you prefer a more hands-on or laid-back approach?
My approach to mentorship Is very laid back as I feel that the relationship building is what is most important. We need to build a level of personal trust so we can solution quickly in times of need. I tell my mentees that even though I enjoy grabbing coffee and lunch from time to time, and planning out a meeting, it’s still ok and sometimes preferred that they call me, text me or email me in the moment when they need advice or an ear. Let’s not let formalities get in our way of progress. If my mentees have an urgent matter, I want to be there for them as quickly as possible, but I also I want them to trust that I am on their team and they can use me within reason at their disposal.
“In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism… in the 21st is century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for fairness and gender equality around the world.”
* Why is gender equality even a challenge, especially in the ‘enlightened’ western world? What do you believe is at the root of this fierce resistance to female influence within society?”
I don’t believe there is a resistance to female influence within society. I think there has always been a high demand for our influence, but that influence has been forcefully managed, in favor of men. I’d say women have been expected to be influential to men, who can in turn use that influence to gain and maintain power. The pay gap is a good example of where we see this. In traditional society; the value of a man increases exponentially when he marries a woman and they have children. There is a prestige and respect that translates to power for married men in a very different way than it has for women. It’s understood that a married man would need more money to take care of a family, and so they are paid more and offered more flexibility, opportunity, and grace. Not because he himself is producing children, but because there is a woman in his life doing so, that he would need to take care of. However, in contrast traditional society penalizes women for doing the same thing. When women get married and have children the assumption is that they have less time to concentrate on their work, and so they are less valuable than they were single and without children. I believe this to be the case, because of greed. I think the world knows exactly how powerful and influential women are. And rather than to honor the power women have naturally, I believe patriarchal society and the greed that motivates it, would rather exploit a woman’s natural ability to influence the world, for their own gain.
I think gender equality, totalitarianism and forced servitude/enslavement have all been rooted in a greed for total control and power and each of those challenges exist today because of it. It’s one thing to be considered “enlightened” but that only speaks to having more knowledge. What people in power do with the knowledge they have, is going to be informed by their individual motivations and so in spaces where we continue to see the prevalence of pay inequities, power inequities and other social disparities, it’s because the people who have the most power and influence are motivated by their greed, and within that greed, is a fear that without total control, they may be placed in the same positions of “lack” that they leave their communities. When we have leaders who are motivated by the greater good of all, we see policies and initiatives put in place to create spaces of equity for people who have been on the fringes of centralized power.
Was there a defining moment or experience in your life that led you to where you are today? What was it?
I have many experiences that led me to this space, but I think growing up as a first generation American has been my driving motivation. Knowing that both sides of my family came to this country a generation ago, in search of a better life and seeing the social and economic challenges they faced while being here, in contrast to seeing the wealth of the families in my childhood community and what I perceived to be an easier life, guided me to this moment. I’ve always wanted more for myself, my family and my community. I’ve seen what success looks like for people who had less barriers, and I’ve been committed to helping to remove those barriers for more people like me.
How does diversity play into mentorship?
Diversity is important because it offers us the opportunity to build our cultural fluency. By exposing ourselves to different people of different backgrounds and perspectives, we enhance our understanding of the world around us. In the context of mentorship, diversity is important because it helps both the mentor and mentee see the possibility of opportunity through different lenses, which allows us more room for growth and success.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best advice I ever received was from a friend about decision making. It was an aha moment that was rooted in spirituality but is also so practical. I was having a hard time with a decision one day, and I was really stressed out about it. My friend said “You have to remember God is not of confusion” and so if you’re confused about the answer you need then you don’t have the right answer. Since then, I wait for clarity or I don’t move at all.
What would you say to yourself if you could go back in time 15 years?
If I could go back 15 years ago, I would tell my 20-year-old self to live in the moment more. I spent so much of my time as a teenager and in my 20s worried if I would make it to where I am today. I took myself a little too seriously in certain moments and didn’t enjoy the ride as much as I should have. When I look back on opportunities, I encountered I wish I had more pictures, I wish I wasn’t so shy, and I wish I kept in touch with more people. At the time I felt I needed to be perfect to be accepted, but now I know I was good enough to enjoy things just as I was.
Who do you most admire? Why?
I admire this next generations of professionals so much. I admire how strongly they stand in their beliefs, their ability to advocate for themselves at such a young age, and their ability to decide for themselves what is or isn’t valuable based on their own rules and not always the template left for them by my generation and beyond. They have a level of self-confidence and commitment to the future that we could all learn from.
