Over the past few years, I have worked as an external career mentor for several major companies, and have come to think deeply about the importance of developing female managers and the challenges they face. The Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace was revised in April 2010, and the development of female managers has been given even greater importance, but many companies still face challenges. When I wrote about the current situation of female managers in this series four years ago, the International Labor Organization’s data showed that women accounted for approximately 27% of managers worldwide, compared to approximately 12% in Japan. Even now, the figure has only increased slightly to approximately 12.7%.

Challenges cited include “the absence or scarcity of female manager role models within the company,” “there is no progress in changing the mindset of female employees and male managers,” and “the number of women decreases as the position rises, so a pipeline has not been built.”

In the midst of this, “career mentors” are attracting attention as a solution. Career mentors can use their own experience and knowledge to become career advisors and support further growth. Menter For, represented by Masako Ikehara, matches female employees with external mentors and supports the introduction of in-house mentoring systems. Specifically, it matches female employees with external senior women who have accumulated various experiences as “external mentors” and supports women in building self-confidence and leadership through mentoring dialogue.

I myself have acted as an external career mentor and through dialogue with female employees of companies, I have heard concerns such as “There are few female senior colleagues in the company, so I can’t draw up a career plan,” “I want to know how to balance life events and work,” and “I’m worried about whether I can do well as a manager.”

I give advice on these concerns, using my own experiences and examples from other companies, and support them in gradually organizing their thoughts about career construction. Even people who initially looked anxious have often given positive feedback through mentoring, such as “Talking with people outside the company broadened my horizons,” “When I organized my thoughts in my own words, I realized how I had grown through my work,” and “I want to try management in small steps.”

Companies have requested that “supervisors and managers be able to have one-on-one career consultations with their subordinates and juniors within the company,” and the number of cases where mentoring skills training has been introduced is also increasing. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and live, and many people have seen a decrease in communication between superiors and subordinates, and among employees, and an increase in anxiety and uncertainty about their careers. It is important for managers to take an interest in their subordinates’ careers through one-on-one career mentoring and link their subordinates’ values ​​and future visions with their current work in order to develop management positions. This is not only effective for women, but also for male managers and executives. The introduction of career mentors will create an environment where all employees can receive support to improve their careers, which will also lead to the growth of the company.

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