In forty years of working as a trainer and (agile) coach in various German companies, I have often been asked whether I would be willing to be a mentor. Usually, I was the only woman and foreigner in my department, so it is not surprising that those who asked for mentorship were often women and/or foreigners. Strictly speaking, my mentorship did not focus on opening new doors for the mentees, but acting as a sounding board.
Women and foreigners generally lack what Germans call Vitamin B. 'B' stands for Beziehung, or personal relationships or a strong network of people who are willing to help advance your career. It is almost impossible to break into the Old (White) Boys' networka that rule in most German organizations or corporations. I've only known a handful of women, two or three foreign men, and three foreign women (Shoutout to Charlotte, Dagmara, and Marine, whose tenacity in this high-stakes game has been nothing short of inspirational) who have managed to pursue a successful and dynamic career within German companies.
So, when I say I am a mentor, it is a matter of helping them get an invitation to an interview, negotiating better contracts or salaries, or coming up with strategies for moving up one or two steps on the executive ladder. Once or twice in recent years, I have delighted in helping a mentee realign their career paths. It is exciting to accompany someone transitioning from one industry or field to another.
What I like about being a mentor is seeing a mentee become serious and intentional about their careers. It is a process of supporting them while they make their dreams come true. Even having a dream is a rare thing for those whose otherness have been stripped of ambitions. Each success story is a testament to the quiet power of resilience and a reminder that even in the most rigid systems, change isn't just possible—it's inevitable.
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