Many Asian Americans fighting their way through corporate America are finding that mentoring programs can help them break into the business world's homogenous old boy's club.

'Mentoring allows people to get a first-hand perspective from someone on what it takes to be successful,' said Andrea Lowe, managing director of the Northern California branch of INROADS, a national business mentoring organization. 'A mentor can help you learn those unwritten rules and give important career advice you wouldn't find anywhere else.'

A plethora of surveys support the power of mentoring; three-quarters of the 1,504 mentors surveyed by The Commonwealth Fund said mentoring had a "very positive" effect on their lives, and more than 80 percent said they felt they were better people because of the process.

And in a recent survey of an elementary school mentoring program at Allstate Insurance, the Mentor Consulting Group found that 75 percent of the participants reported that the activity improved their attitude at work.

This may explain why mentoring has become a key factor in retention - especially for employees of color. 'A lot of companies have realized that, from a diversity perspective, you have to establish networks and support systems,' Lowe said. 'Having senior-level mentors or even peers to lean on for support can make all the difference in how happy an employee is.'

A study from the Conference Board of more than 450 U.S. businesses found that employees involved in mentoring programs reported improved teamwork skills, morale and self worth. The companies boasted increased employee retention, productivity, community relations and public image, according to the report.

'There are so many reports backing up the positive personal experiences mentors and mentees have, it seems odd for companies to pass up mentoring and networking programs,' Lowe said. 'Relationships that open doors, instill confidence and promote productivity can only be good for a company's success.'

Indeed, the trend, which has for long been an informal process, is gaining speed nationwide as more advocacy groups and businesses realize the countless benefits of mentoring.

The Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute (APAWLI), is launching Discovery Leadership - An Emerging Leaders Program this spring.

More than a dozen Asian-American women who have at least four years of work experience and are community leaders will come together one weekend each month for nine months to create a community-impact project. The project will begin in San Francisco before moving on to other major cities.

The program is in response to a study conducted by the group that showed Asian-American women may face even greater obstacles in the workplace than their male counterparts. A significant number of Asian-American women reported feeling significantly underrepresented in corporate America, which led to a sense of isolation.

Reaching out to students early can also help alleviate that sense of isolation and accelerate advancement in the corporate world, according to Asian American LEAD (AALEAD), a Washington, D.C. organization that has matched young children of immigrants with mentors since 1995.

'There are a lot of new immigrants and refugees, especially Vietnamese, in the area, so often parents have little education and don't speak much English,' said Ingvild Bjørnvold, mentoring coordinator for AALEAD.

The Vietnamese refugees who traveled to the United States after 1975, when the capital city Saigon fell, were usually sponsored by American families, who introduced them to country's ways.

Since most immigrant parents aren't equipped to navigate the American educational system, mentors focus on helping their mentees academically, but also help open doors to the business world.

'Mentors open doors for their kids, help them get in touch with the right people and open them up to new opportunities that they wouldn't have had,' Bjørnvold said.
 

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