No "Mentor" Needed: Building Strategic Networks as a Feminist Leader

• In Event: Conversations of Women in Higher Education Leadership Roles: Considering Pipelines, Diversity, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract

In this manuscript, the co-authors discuss strategic networking as one way to increase individual and collective career agency. Specifically, through reflective narratives and review of relevant literature, we explore mentorship as a gendered activity situated within a culture where women and non-binary individuals are underrepresented among the highest levels of leadership in higher education. By connecting mentorship and leadership research and theories with personal experiences, our purpose is to encourage feminist leaders across the gender spectrum (Chin, 2004) to build a network of peers (looking laterally) versus idolizing one “mentor” or “role model” (Keup, 2014). We bring forward the work of other researchers, authors, and leaders in continued solidarity, challenging the paradigm of “traditional” and “masculinized” leadership and mentorship models, and adding examples as to how these strategies have advanced our professional work, research, and career pathways.

Author

• Amy Martin, Michigan State University