Mentoring Experiences of High-Achieving Women

The Problem. Organizations in all sectors invest resources in mentoring programs to attract, develop, and retain employees. Colleges and universities do so to retain students, staff, and faculty, often with the explicit aspiration of achieving a diverse, quality learning, and working environment. Mentoring is expected to be a positive influence in one’s development. Yet high-achieving women in this qualitative study describe the presence of mentors as both a help and a hindrance and the absence of mentors as both benefit and deficit. The Solution. Reflections shared by women in this collective case study contribute to the discussion of the benefits and challenges of mentoring relationships. Findings suggest modifications and alternatives to traditional, formal mentoring programs will benefit a broader range of high-achieving women. The Stakeholders. This study’s findings concern practitioners and scholars in human resource development, higher education administration, and leadership development, along with the women mentoring programs intend to serve.