The power of mentorship and what tech veterans can learn from the next generation

This year's theme for International Women's Day is "Give to Gain" and in preparing to celebrate I was struck by how much the theme resonated with me. I have worked in human resources (HR) for over 20 years but like so many who find themselves in this field it was not necessarily what I set out looking for. Instead, I fell in love with this role as a summer student while pursuing my degree in political science and was eventually offered a full-time position. With expertise in another field, I owe much of my early success to my mentor who encouraged and fostered my understanding of legislation, training, development, and importantly, working with others. I still take inspiration from the stories she would share and the challenges she overcame during her 40-year career. 

Encouraging the next generation

One of the lessons I took from my mentor was how strong she was to persevere and grow in her career during a time when women faced challenges and barriers in the workplace to which their male colleagues were not subjected. Today, I channel that courage to push myself toward continued growth and, because I was so lucky in my early career to have that career-defining encouragement, take on mentorship roles, and champion the next generation of young women in this industry. 

In practice that means hiring more women today who are just beginning their careers. Young women face challenges breaking into a male-dominated field like technology. For example, in the past at Sharp Canada, junior roles required at least one to three years experience. Today we no longer expect that initial experience and when we hire for junior positions, we understand that we are making an investment in that person because they are going to learn as they go. We have also standardized the way we work with colleges and universities and have invested more in emerging professionals in the hopes of encouraging the next generation of technology champions. I'm very proud of our Co-op and Internship Program, which partners with local post-secondary institutions, including colleges and universities, to hire co-op students and recent graduates. The program helps us learn and grow together and has been highly successful, with an 80 per cent retention rate for the first three years following post-secondary education (50 per cent of which are women). It means that these new professionals who have worked through the program stay with us.

Of course, when you are just starting your career, it can be daunting. Working in tech specifically is so multifaceted with many areas of expertise. As a mentor now myself, I understand that means we don't always get everything right the first time. That fear of making mistakes was something I struggled with early in my career, but now I encourage our next generation to see these moments as opportunities to continue challenging ourselves. 

What tech veterans can learn from early-career employees

Working in technology, I need to keep up with the pace of change, and it motivates me to see how quickly our young employees master new skills. Sharp is a multi-generational workforce, and we do not expect everyone to be proficient in our workflows and IT environment when they arrive, but I am consistently encouraged when I see how quickly they adapt. 

My advice to other leaders is to support the creativity and new approaches of their younger employees and learn what you can from them. "Give to Gain" works both ways and we can always stand to take a humble approach, and ask questions that demonstrate how, as leaders, we never stop learning. These moments don't need to be big. They can be as simple as asking where they got the idea for a creative presentation. For example, I have been impressed by my team's creative storytelling and use of design and visual elements to tell stories with data; it's no longer about stats copied from a spreadsheet! Being open to new ways of operating means we push each other to grow. 

Those moments of learning create important connections. In the age of analytics where more companies are embracing AI and data-driven decision making, remembering that even in technology, human connections are always at the core of what we do. To me, being successful and making good decisions means that if you're working with people, you need to take their feelings into consideration. The human in HR should always be front and centre.

My hope is that today's tech leaders make the time to empower young women considering a career in HR or technology not only with words but with commitments to mentoring and programs that drive real change.