Gender Equality is an important topic in our organization. As we set targets for gender equality, the Female Mentorship Program (FMP) stands out as one of our main initiatives, empowering women to excel in their careers. It was created to be a mentoring opportunity for all the women at Fagron who want to explore their ambitions and further develop their careers.
Mentors and mentees establish their mentoring relationship and have an open space to talk about their challenges, goals, and ambitions. Through mentorship, guidance, and a shared commitment to gender equality, we strive to propel women into management roles, forging a future where leadership transcends gender barriers.
When women mentor women, they can provide guidance on navigating their careers, advice on skill development, ongoing support, and accelerate their development.
Why mentorship?
A mentor is someone with knowledge and experience, willing to share this knowledge and help others achieve their goals. A mentor should be someone who has achieved the level of success that the mentee envisions. It’s someone who can understand and challenge the other at the same time.
Navigating the business world and many other fields can be oftentimes overwhelming. Mentorship can allow the mentee to achieve greater understanding and vision to accomplish their goals, and it can help the mentor build up future leaders and their network.
Stefanie: From Mentee to Mentor
In this Women’s Visibility Month, we would like to bring the perspective and to get to know a bit more the journey of a woman working at Fagron.
Stefanie Archilli is a Marketing Coordinator at Florien, a Fagron company located in Brazil. She manages the Marketing department, oversees product launches, the digital and offline presence of the company, events, and internal marketing. Yes, she does a lot!
She first joined the FMP as a mentee in the 2022 edition of the program. With her vast work knowledge and the experience she got in the FMP, she felt she was more than ready to take the next step: becoming a mentor.
According to her, staying the same you are won’t lead you anywhere. “I like challenges and exchanges. I learn a lot from my leader and my peers, and I always look for courses focused on leadership.”
In the interview below, Stefanie shares her thoughts on the program, her work, and personal growth.
What were your expectations entering the FMP?
As a mentee, it was more like listening to a more experienced person and absorbing new knowledge. As a mentor, my expectation was to listen and give my 360º view, from outside the situation, and with the experience I already have. But in both cases, I wanted this exchange and I got it. I loved mentoring, I miss the meetings.
What are you going to do that is similar to what your mentor did? What will be different?
What I learned from my mentor, I used in mentoring, but I looked for more cases from her day-to-day life to help her with a more 360º vision and in valuing her as a woman, professional, wife, and daughter. Self-esteem is a subject that pops-up in all mentoring.
Any situation you’d like to mention that was important to you?
My mentor’s final feedback about me. I was not expecting it, honestly. It was far beyond what I see myself as.
Something very common among women is impostor’s syndrome. Have you ever faced that? And if so, how do you deal with it?
(Laughs) I hadn’t read this question before and just looked at my previous answers! I sabotage myself a lot, so much so that I didn’t see the full potential I had until I heard what I heard about myself from my mentor and mentee. And I saw the same kind of feeling from my mentee when I showed her what I saw about herself.
How do you face and how do you provide feedback?
I love, to give and to receive. I think it’s extremely valid for our growth and alignment with the team.
What do you expect from your mentee?
Lots of exchange. Listen a lot and give a broad view of everything. It’s a partnership and both sides evolve.
You work with Marketing, so you constantly have to be creative. How do you keep a fresh mind and when do you find yourself at your most creative?
Good question, because my mind never stops. Many creative ideas are born when taking a shower, at home watching TV, or in a random conversation. I’m a very curious person, so I think this helps to create.
What is something you do that is unique?
Ah, this you will have to ask someone that works with me… Oh, there is the imposter syndrome! Ok: I think I’m very, very empathetic towards others. I always put myself in someone else’s shoes and try to act with great humanity.
Is there something that you discovered recently and has helped you on a personal or professional level, that you’d like to share?
Wow, I’ve been having wonderful exchanges with my manager, Paula, and my peers. My team teaches me so many things every day. But what has struck me is that goals are achieved through the work of people, who must be motivated every day. A company’s greatest asset is them!
Any final words?
If you allow me, I want to talk about Brazilian women. The ones that I have the honor of being alongside every day and many others that are in the other companies of Fagron in Brazil. Warriors, fighters, examples of professionals, mothers, wives, daughters. It’s a great pleasure to work with them!
