One of NWIR’s four pillars or goals is Mentoring.  The Mentoring Committee exists to empower women in our industry by encouraging mentor/mentee relationships and develop avenues to bring women together to share thoughts, best practices and coaching opportunities for career growth. The Mentoring Committee has developed content for the many Networking & Mentoring Receptions that NWIR has hosted over the past few years. Their most recent endeavor has been to take their experience of planning and hosting networking events and create a Mentoring Toolkit that can be used by NWIR Councils, corporate women’s groups, and even adapted for 1:1 mentoring relationships. In addition, here are some mentoring topics and questions that you could use in a mentoring relationship.

What is Mentorship?

An organic and honest learning process where experience and knowledge of one person is used to demonstrate and guide another through a trusted ongoing relationship.

What is Group Mentoring?

Group mentoring involves a mutually supportive group of people who use storytelling to foster safe, trusting communities to transfer best leadership practices. One of NWIR’s core goals is to provide mentorship mechanisms for women in the roofing industry. Prior to the meeting, the group will have pre-selected a Mentor or Mentors who will share a personal experience with the broader group. The experience will tie to challenges and opportunities women in roofing are faced with today. Once the Mentor(s) complete their story, the group will discuss and share their individual stories. Stories can be based on situations involving gender, work-life balance, self-advocacy, and finding allies, advocates, and mentors.

trio of images of women at nwir

Participant Benefits:

  • Provides women with an outlet to develop relationships such as mentors, allies, and advocates.
    (Men are 7 times more likely than women to have mentors, allies, and advocates, and to have
    received a promotion as a result.)
  • Provides career development for individuals and the organizations they work in.
  • Fosters networking and cross-functional sharing of ideas to learn specific knowledge of another
    functional area(s) or network with those who have similar leadership and development interests.
  • Provides leadership/training opportunities.
  • Studies indicate a group dynamic is far more effective than one-on-one.
  • It is human nature to learn through stories vs. guidance.
  • Allows Mentees to receive feedback and expertise from multiple perspectives vs.
    one Mentor’s view.
  • Allows Mentees to receive objective feedback in a safe environment.
  • Provides an opportunity for practicing skills (e.g. presentation skills).
  • Offers opportunities to gain exposure to and understanding of diversity.
  • Offers firsthand views of “success” at another level.
  • Mentees are challenged to expand and acquire new work/life perspectives and skills
    through Circle interactions.

Webinars: