Leadership talk: How do leaders 'do mentoring', and is gender relevant?

This paper explores the way people 'do mentoring' in the workplace. Using examples from our extensive database of interactions, recorded in a number of New Zealand workplaces, the analysis identifies a variety of discourse strategies used by those in positions of responsibility in mentoring colleagues. The mentors in our corpus draw from a wide repertoire of strategies, ranging from those which focus on procedural aspects of career advising, through corrective and appreciative comments, to supportive advising, and indirect coaching. Although mentoring has traditionally been associated with men, the examples demonstrate that women leaders do mentoring too, and the analysis suggests that some do it very well. Moreover, this exploratory look at how mentoring is accomplished indicates that 'feminine' strategies are well represented among those available, and appear to be very effective. Finally, it is suggested that successful women leaders contest or 'trouble' established gender boundaries and thereby expand the very concept of what it means to be a leader. Through their discursive practices, they give the legitimacy of power to a range of discursive strategies, including some conventionally regarded as feminine. Thus, it is argued, the process of constructing one's identity as an effective leader becomes increasingly compatible for women with that of constructing a socially coherent gender identity.