Ripples of Impact: Why Mentorship Needs to Be Seen, Heard and Shared

Several years ago, the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance (the “Alliance”) set out to address a persistent hospitality industry challenge:  women were significantly underrepresented on conference stages.

When Conference Organizers were asked why, one answer was frustratingly simple:  they couldn’t find enough women speakers. We knew that wasn’t true, so the Alliance’s Podium Committee created a Speaker Directory that has grown to include over 2,000 women from around the world. The talent was always there; now, there was an easy way to find it.

But Conference Organizers shared another challenge remained:  women turn down speaking opportunities at significantly higher rates than men. There are many reasons someone may say no, including public speaking is people’s #1 fear!  That raised a different question:  What if we could make that first step a little easier?

From an Idea to a Microphone

That question stayed with Lan Elliott.

What if, instead of walking onto a conference stage for the first time, an emerging speaker could sit down with someone she already trusted and simply have a conversation?

A Mentor and a Mentee. A fireside chat. A microphone.

When Lan shared the idea with Craig Sullivan, Craig’s response was immediate:  Let’s do it together; we can launch it on [CLIC] Media!  Craig brought in [CLIC] Producer Dr. Suzanne Bagnera, and Ripples of Impact:  The New ROI was born.

The mini-podcast premiered September 3 with the first of four Mentor-Mentee fireside chats:

• Melissa Maher and Joyce Yun

• Monika Nerger and Nazpari Aydin (coming soon)

• Lan Elliott and Leyna Williams (coming soon)

• Lan Elliott and Tori Greenberg (coming soon)

  
  

Creating a Place to Find Your Voice

For Lan, the idea started with giving new voices a supportive place to practice telling their stories.

“Years ago, trailblazer Peggy Berg gave me my first opportunity to speak to students about my career. That led to a meeting with Rachel Humphrey and David Kong - little did I suspect we would soon launch a podcast together, now known as It’s Personal Stories, A Hospitality Podcast. Fast forward a few years, and I wanted to offer others that first step in public speaking Peggy once offered me – a safe, supportive space to start their journey. My hope is saying yes to Ripples of Impact makes it easier to say yes the next time someone asks them to take the stage.” — Lan Elliott

One appearance can create its own ripple. Someone participates in a podcast. Then accepts an invitation to join a panel. Then moderates one. Eventually, she may become the keynote speaker someone else is watching and thinking, Maybe I could do that too. Visibility builds confidence. Confidence creates opportunity.

Showing the Next Generation what Mentorship Actually Looks Like

There is another reason these conversations need to be heard. We tell students and young professionals all the time:  Find a Mentor. But what exactly does that mean?

As an educator, that’s the part of this project that resonates most with Suzanne. Mentorship is often portrayed as a formal relationship between an established executive and a younger professional. The reality is much broader. Mentors can be professors, supervisors, colleagues, industry leaders and friends. A Mentor may stay with you for decades or enter your career at exactly the moment you need that person’s perspective.

Some Mentors open doors. Some ask difficult questions. Some recognize potential before you recognize it in yourself. And the learning doesn’t always move in one direction.

“We tell students to network and find Mentors, but those words can be abstract when you’re just beginning to understand an industry. I want them to hear what these relationships actually sound like. How did you meet? Who made the first move? When did you realize this person was a Mentor? What did they do that made a difference? There isn’t one formula, and seeing that can make Mentorship feel much more accessible.” — Dr. Suzanne Bagnera

There is another part of that lesson that matters. The ripple can start much earlier in a career than we sometimes realize.

Students and early-career professionals shouldn’t only be asking:  Who can Mentor me? They can also ask:  Who can I help?  Someone only a few steps ahead may have exactly the experience, encouragement or connection needed. 

Someone Opened a Door for Each of Us

Craig understands the long arc of those relationships. After decades in hospitality, he can point to people who helped shape not only his career, but the way he approaches supporting others.

One of those people is Dorraine Lallani. Craig has described Dorraine as a friend, Mentor, and someone whose help and guidance have had an immeasurable impact on his career. That experience helps explain why Lan barely finished describing her idea before Craig wanted to be support it.

“I’ve been fortunate to have people throughout my career who believed in me, challenged me and opened doors for me. So, when Lan came to me with an idea centered on Mentorship and creating opportunities for new voices, there wasn’t much to think about. The answer was:  Let’s do it. If we have a platform, we should use it to help create the next opportunity for someone else.” — Craig Sullivan

One Opportunity Creates Another

And that’s the real ROI of Mentorship:  it compounds. A Mentor helps someone develop confidence. That person accepts an opportunity she might otherwise have declined. Someone hears her and offers another. Eventually, she reaches back and creates an opportunity for someone else.  One ripple creates the next.

Who created a ripple in your career?

Ripples of Impact: The New ROI started with four conversations.  We don’t intend for it to end there. 

We want to hear from Mentors and Mentees across hospitality whose relationships deserve to be shared. Maybe someone took a chance on you before you thought you were ready. Maybe a professor changed the direction of your career. Maybe an executive opened a door. Or maybe you’ve watched your Mentee grow into a Mentor for someone else.

We especially want to hear the unexpected stories, the relationships that challenge the traditional idea of what a Mentor or Mentee is supposed to look like.

So, we’ll leave you with two questions:

• Who created a ripple in your career?

• And whose career are you creating a ripple in now?

  
  

If you have a Mentor-Mentee relationship that could inspire someone else in hospitality, reach out to Dr. Suzanne Bagnera, Lan Elliott or Craig Sullivan and tell us about your Ripple.

Because the return on Mentorship isn’t measured by what happens to one person . . . it’s measured by how far the impact travels.