As businesses become more conscious of workforce disparities, resolving them becomes more daunting. Minorities often face difficulties advancing in their fields due to exclusionary mindsets of those in leadership positions. Allies among the majority are critical in breaking down those barriers and glass ceilings. A mentor is one of the most powerful allies a person can gain, because mentors leverage their knowledge to develop the mentee as an individual, not just as a worker.
Pairing Wisdom with a Fresh Perspective
This type of relationship can be a mutually beneficial one. The mentor can feel satisfied, knowing that they have a hand in building a relationship with their mentee, but also in growing their community. They get firsthand insight into what newcomers are experiencing within their organization, ensuring that they stay up to date with new trends and challenges.
It is not enough to just want to be a mentor. A mentor must be a strong communicator and an empathetic listener to learn as much as they can about their mentee. After gaining a fuller understanding of their mentee’s experiences and future goals, the mentor will provide advice that will, hopefully, enable the mentee to grow and thrive in their private life and career.
For the mentee, they get one-on-one guidance from an experienced colleague, benefiting from their knowledge. Mentees feel better equipped to face challenges in their careers. They gain a confidant who will provide the best advice possible and integrate into their own professional network.
Credit: The Price of Success: Navigating the Tradeoffs That Shape Career Growth via Martha Ekdahl on SHRM.org
Uplifting Marginalized Communities Through Mentorship
Mizuho Takahashi, Senior Manager of the Human Resources Department at Daishi Hokuetsu Bank, can speak to the value of mentors. Daishi Hokuetsu Bank, in collaboration with other regional banks, conducted a mentoring program for female executive candidates to counter the heavily male environment of rural finance. The program was successful; one member of their first mentee cohort recently became executive officer and a mentor herself. Businesses benefit from stronger interpersonal bonds and employees who are comfortable and committed at all levels of the organization.
Mizuho Takahashi / Hitomi Toyama
Both mentors and mentees are more likely to feel engaged in their work and are therefore less likely to quiet quit. If a company wants to reap those benefits and create a more inclusive company culture, it is important to develop as many mentors as possible.
As Daishi Hokuetsu Bank is a regional bank, the scale of the program was limited by the available mentors within the organization. To resolve this, they partnered with MentorFor, a professional development organization that matches professional mentors with companies working to establish their own mentorship programs. MentorFor CEO Masako Ikehara believes strongly in the power of mentorship, as sharing personal experiences expands someone’s career and life options. She says, “When people come to a standstill in life, they struggle with the choice between A and B. Talking to a mentor is a way to create a Plan C.”
With Ikehara and MentorFor’s expertise and guidance, Daishi Hokuetsu Bank developed professional mentoring techniques to build more mentorship relationships. Takahashi is emphatic that with time and persistence, this will create a positive change within the business. He says these efforts have made the female staff hopeful, looking forward to a future of gender equality where a push for “women’s empowerment” is no longer needed. Interestingly, the men have instead started emphasizing that women’s empowerment is precisely what is needed.
Masako Ikehara
Use It Wisely
Mentorship can be particularly beneficial for women and minorities, but it must be carefully implemented. While a well-executed mentorship program empowers everyone involved, a flawed implementation can do more harm than good. If both parties aren’t genuinely invested in building a relationship of mutual trust, it will fail. Failure to listen or communicate effectively, unrealistic expectations, inappropriate interpersonal behaviors, and bias are all common characteristics that could lead to a breakdown in the relationship. This could limit the potential growth of the mentee and risk the mentor’s placement and standing.
Daishi Hokuetsu Bank has illustrated the power of mentorship in combating disparities. Other top companies agree. As of 2026, 100% of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies have implemented mentoring programs for their staff. Seeking out these mentorship opportunities to learn from each other and contribute to the growth of the next generations is how we build powerful teams, businesses, and societies.
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