Commonwealth Financial Network has launched a first-of-its-kind mentorship program for women advisors as part of its continued mission to bolster the strength of its community.
The initiative comes in response to feedback from Commonwealth’s women advisors, who expressed a desire for greater networking and learning opportunities from peers. Formally launched as a six-month engagement, the first cohort exceeded program expectations, filling every available seat, according to the Dec. 6 announcement. Commonwealth currently counts more than 400 women advisors among its 2,000-strong advisor community.
“We’re committed to giving our women advisors everything they need to succeed personally and professionally, and that starts with asking the right questions, listening to feedback, and putting programs together that foster a sense of belonging and fulfillment,” notes Jessica Fougere, Vice President of Conferences, Events and Community Outreach.
Differing from traditional one-to-one mentoring, Commonwealth’s program involves mentorship “pods”—groups of advisor mentees who share similar goals and affinities—and one to two mentors. Mentors and mentees will drive interactions in regular meetings and check-ins. The program is facilitated by Sarah Mann, principal at Spark HR Consulting.
Mentors will share their experiences and strengths with their pod and help guide pod members toward their goals. Themes that were identified as especially important to Commonwealth’s women advisors included work-life balance, diversity and inclusion, career development and managing stress.
“I’ve mentored other women informally and was super excited to be part of the program,” said Danette Lowe, President of TruNorth Wealth Management, who has been with Commonwealth since 2012. “When you get a group of Commonwealth advisors together, you’re going to learn from one another, and what you learn is magnified and amplified many times over compared to what you put into it.”
