Diversity - Mentoring
Investment Bankers' Leadership
Problem: Investment Bank senior leaders had little time but a great need to better know their rising talent. A commitment had been made to diversity but deal team staffing continued to offer opportunities to the same groups. Race, gender, background, personality style were all issues.
Solution: We created a group mentoring program to provide small dynamic networks to keep lines of communication open. We created guidelines that everyone could follow, a time commitment that was realistic.
The meetings were leadership opportunities for the protégés. They created the discussion topics; they drove the agenda. The mentor was there as a resource or guide. Mentors learned from people who had grown up in other countries, benefiting from their view of emerging markets.
Protégés who had come from other firms could share best practices. Together, they could assess their firm’s leading edge, sharing information across hierarchical lines. Deal team staffing decisions could be made in a much more connected environment.