At Tighe & Bond, a leading engineering and environmental consulting firm with over a century of history, fostering the growth and development of their top female talent has become a strategic priority. Recognizing the challenges faced by women in a male-dominated industry, the company sought an innovative approach to mentoring that would empower their mid-career professionals with the leadership and soft skills necessary to excel. This led them to partner with Femme Palette, a decision that has proven to be transformative for the participants and the company alike.
Establishing a company mentoring program is a powerful way to align employee growth with business goals while offering a personalized approach to talent development. We spoke with Margo A. Armstrong, Chief HR Officer & Senior Vice President at Tighe & Bond, about how their mentoring initiative with Femme Palette has enhanced the confidence and effectiveness of their female leaders, contributing to a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
I’ve been with Tighe & Bond since 2016 and am their Chief HR Officer. I’m a member of the Senior Leadership Team and work closely with the CEO and other senior business leaders. In my role, which has both strategic and operational elements, I’m responsible for developing and implementing talent management initiatives that align with the overall business objectives and strategic direction of the firm. I also oversee and direct the Human Resources function.
We wanted to provide mentoring to our top female talent at the mid-career level and thought it would be most effective to use a third party to do that given the relatively small number of females in leadership positions at our firm, as well as the time commitment for mentors. We chose Femme Palette because of their experience providing this service, the caliber of mentors, and the format of the program.
We wanted to provide our mid-career top female talent with mentorship that didn’t exist within the firm, predominantly from a soft skills perspective.
Mentoring has helped grow the participants’ confidence. Mentees now feel prepared to set boundaries, are more effective at organization and time management, are building more successful teams through better communication and active listening, and have shifted their mindset of being the only female in the room to a positive rather than a negative.
Pilot the program with a small group of individuals and get their feedback before deciding whether to implement more broadly. It is a worthy investment given the challenges women have in finding mentors and the program offers an incredible experience to speak with an unbiased third party who can help navigate challenges. You will get your return on investment and it reflects well upon the employer to seek outside support to engage and retain top talent.
Tighe & Bond implemented a program to provide mentoring to mid-career top female talent and partnered with Femme Palette on this initiative. The program was highly successful. Our mentees let us know that the program made them feel valued, helped identify areas for growth both personally and professionally, and gave them confidence to navigate their careers in a male dominated industry.
Has the success of Tighe & Bond's mentoring program inspired you to consider mentoring at your company? Explore Femme Palette’s Mentoring Program for companies to discover our tailored solutions. We’re excited to discuss your company’s needs and build the best possible experience for your team!
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