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Women’s E-mentorship One-year Pilot Program Wraps

Women’s E-mentorship One-year Pilot Program Wraps - Deemed a Success: CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN) and Canadian Women in Technology (CanWIT) E-mentorship Collaboration to Continue in September 2011

“Successful mentoring is one of the most satisfying experiences one can have.”

The pilot program in e-mentorship for management-track women led by the CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN) and Canadian Women in Technology (CanWIT), with sponsorship from Microsoft Canada and Status of Women Canada has been deemed a success by participants and will continue in September 2011.

The pilot program wrapped last month with an e-seminar on “The Power of Mentoring” led by Dennie Theodore, well-known expert, presenter and blogger on Mentorship, and a short forecast of next year’s program features presented by Suzie LaBonne, VP of Mentorship at CanWIT.

In September 2011, the CIOCAN/CanWIT collaboration will continue with expansion across Canada. CanWIT will use some of their Status of Women Canada funding to migrate to an electronic platform for program administration and for identifying and matching mentor and mentee pairs.

In late March 2010, CIO mentors from many industries – all members of the CIO Association of Canada, were paired with management-track women members of CanWIT as part of a year-long trial aimed at bringing the quantified benefits of mentorship to an electronic platform in order to accommodate busy people who may not have the time to schedule regular face to face meetings. While some of the pairs chose to meet occasionally in person following the live kick-off event at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame, most of the communication was done by e-mail, with some telephone contact. Mentor and mentee pairs also attended two national e-seminars where all program participants could come together and learn how to get the most from their learning. Program support was provided by the CIOCAN/CanWIT team.

Susan Doniz of Procter and Gamble International, and National Chair of CIOCAN’s e-mentorship program “I’m proud of this program on many levels. First, as a participating CIO mentor, it’s been very gratifying to see the progress of my mentee as she accepts challenges, gets out of her comfort zone, and works toward the next step in her career. And I’m sure I got as much out of the mentorship as she did – learning to see issues from her perspective, and gaining insight on how to provide guidance more effectively. Second, it’s a testament to the commitment of our CIO community that so many stepped forward to take on a mentor role. And finally, it’s great for Canada that more women are being prepared to take on leadership roles in executive IT. Study after study has decried the shortage of women in IT management, and we at the CIO Association are proud to be part of the solution.”

Mary Anne Ballantyne, Leader of the Toronto-based pilot program and Assistant Head, Technology and Innovation at the Bishop Strachan School, agrees that mentoring is an outstanding experience, but cautions that the e-mentoring relationship must be taken seriously by both parties in order to get real value. “It’s a tremendous and somewhat rare opportunity when a senior executive agrees to mentor someone in junior management – and mentorship should not be a reporting relationship. Make sure that your introductory sessions include the setting of clear communication parameters, goals and time commitments. As one of our participants said “ Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. Talk with your mentor about how can you achieve your dreams.”

New e-mentorships will start up in September 2011 following in-depth program evaluation and revisions. Contact the CIO Association of Canada or Canadian Women in Technology for more information.