Nobody makes it in business without a mentor, according to Sheila Wellington, President of Catalyst, a leading source of information about women in business. Their studies indicate that the better mentoring you get, the better your advancement in the workplace will be. This is particularly true for women, she reports.

      Studies show women vastly under-represented in Americaâs executive corporate suites and on their Boards. At the same time the ãpipelineä is increasingly filled with qualified women, record numbers of them are leaving private and public-sector organizations. They take their ideas and experience with them (and studies also show that when they leave, they donât come back.) Why? Women report they want more control of their lives. And they want choices.

      Since big organizations cannot afford to loose these valuable people, says Ms. Wellington, corporate and business management and managers still have work to do. The good news is that she believes these organizations are particularly well suited to the task of living up to the American dream of advancement based on merit. Change can happen, when it comes from the top and is subsequently institutionalized.

      Ms. Wellingtonâs own career began in public health, where she learned the vital importance of parenting and the profound impact of lifeâs mentors. Catalystâs studies show this also applies in the business world. Women, especially women of color, are too often left out of the mentoring loop. Ms. Wellington is confident that the likelihood a young man rather than a young woman will be mentored is neither intentional nor vicious. She thinks itâs more a matter of comfort. When you donât go to ãT.G.I.Fä together, you miss not only the grapes but the grapevine, she says.

      So what? Among other things access to informal networks directly affects the ãline/staffä issue, reports Ms. Wellington. Profit-and-loss (line) jobs lead to the executive suite. For the most part, staff jobs ÷ human resources, public relations, government relations ÷ donât. While there are certainly advantages to staff positions, Ms. Wellington wants women to have the choice and be aware of the consequences. Which, of course, gets us back to mentoring.

Conversation 1

Sheila Wellington tells point Paula Gordon and Bill Russell what she means when she says we are living at an ãinflectionä point in history. She compares today to the Industrial Revolution.

6:26 secs

Conversation 2

Ms. Wellington summarizes the work of Catalyst, demonstrating how its work facilitates choices for women. She challenges what she describes as the "corrosive myth of the second paycheck." A discussion about merit and affirmative action ensures, in which Ms. Wellington offers facts and figures about who actually holds upper level positions in the American workforce. She reviews Catalystâs largest study ever ö examining the status of women of color.

10:35 secs

Conversation 3

Ms. Wellington reviews the results of Catalystâs Women of Color Study (http://www.catalystwomen.org) at the managerial and professional levels in organizations. Certain that no human being can be successful without a mentor (a guide, a coach, an advocate, someone to show you the ropes,) Ms. Wellington explains why the lack of a mentor is a particularly significant barrier to advancement of women in the workforce. She expands. Ms. Wellington gives examples of successful informal and formal mentoring relationships, and puts todayâs dramatic social changes in context.

10:23 secs

Conversation 4

Ms. Wellington reviews the results of Catalystâs Women of Color Study (http://www.catalystwomen.org) at the managerial and professional levels in organizations. Certain that no human being can be successful without a mentor (a guide, a coach, an advocate, someone to show you the ropes,) Ms. Wellington explains why the lack of a mentor is a particularly significant barrier to advancement of women in the workforce. She expands. Ms. Wellington gives examples of successful informal and formal mentoring relationships, and puts todayâs dramatic social changes in context.

11:07 secs

Conversation 5

The importance of institutionalizing changes is considered. Citing studies of the high cost of turnover among managerial executive personnel, Ms. Wellington considers the economic implications of a diverse workforce. She addresses the ãline/staffä issues women face. She explains Catalystâs ãglass wallsä concept. She encourages women to choose rather than drift into their business roles and suggests some of the advantages to different career paths. Drawing on Ms. Wellingtonâs own experiences, a variety of roles for mothers are explored.

11:08 secs

Conversation 6

Catalyst has documented special challenges faced by women of color in the workplace, says Ms. Wellington, who gives details. She expresses concern about managers who fail in their overall responsibility to focus on all subordinatesâ advancement. Ms. Wellington shares the excitement she feels about Catalystâs work.

4:26 secs

Acknowledgements