Direction Along the Path: Mentoring and Black Female Administrators

In this chapter, the authors explore the characteristics that mentors of Black female administrators possess and discuss the lessons learned within a mentoring relationship and their implications for personal and professional development. They provide tips for developing and maintaining successful mentoring relationships based on personal reflections about mentoring from collegiate administrators obtained through the original research. Mentoring helps novices develop technical expertise, acceptable organizational or professional behavior, and an overall sense of competence. The women who participated in the Black Female Administrator Survey were asked to identify the areas of support that their mentors provided. Mentors achieve satisfaction and further confirmation of their knowledge through helping novices. The women administrators who participated in the survey received personal and professional support from their mentors and, in turn, provided similar support to their own proteges.