Bridging the gap: How mentorship builds an inclusive workplace culture

Inclusion sounds ideal on paper: It means employees feel valued, involved, and respected for their ideas, perspectives, and experiences.¹ That’s a goal every brokerage leader shares for their team. 

The challenge is that inclusion is easy to champion, but much harder to put into practice. Many brokerages have formal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies in place, but often struggle to turn well-intentioned principles into meaningful, day-to-day experiences. That’s where mentorship comes in as a strategic tool to bridge the gap between intent and real-world impact. 

Mentorship is widely recognized for its role in career growth, helping mentees develop new skills, build confidence, and expand their professional networks. 

See: Mentorship: The underused DEI superpower

While that’s important, mentorship’s other superpower lies in its ability to create a workplace culture in which DEI values are lived, not just stated. Through mentorship, inclusive workplaces emerge because mentor-mentee relationships create connections, build mutual understanding, and increase representation in leadership — which ripples across the entire organization.²

Canadian Underwriter’s 2025 DEI Survey, sponsored by Sovereign Insurance, highlights the tangible impact mentorship has within brokerages — beyond gaining new skills. Among brokers who have had mentors, 79% gained perspective and insight from someone with experience, 64% felt motivated and inspired, and 60% gained support through challenges, whether emotional or practical. In addition, nearly half (49%) cited improved communication. 

A people-centric approach

The findings highlight an important aspect of DEI: Positive culture shifts happen through people, not policies. Mentorship brings inclusion to life — one relationship at a time — by fostering trust, empathy, and understanding between mentors and mentees. Over time, this helps create an organization-wide environment where different perspectives are valued and integrated into the culture.^3,4

Lisa Fain, CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence, has spoken about how powerful mentoring can be in creating inclusive workplaces. In her view, the key lies in learning through relationships. 

“If we learn together, we grow together, we include one another, and we start to see our differences as assets instead of divides,” she said. “Mentoring is an incredible vehicle for mentors and mentees to really move the needle on creating a more inclusive and equitable workforce and society.”⁵

Organizations that embrace mentorship as part of their culture not only foster inclusion, but they also improve retention and create environments where diverse talent can thrive. One of mentorship’s biggest strengths is how it connects employees from underrepresented groups to leaders who can champion their growth and help them overcome career obstacles as they rise through the ranks.⁶ This is especially urgent given that 74% of brokers have left or considered leaving their jobs due to toxic culture, lack of mentorship, and mental health struggles, according to the 2025 DEI survey. 

But mentorship isn’t a one-way street. Mentors also benefit — particularly through reverse mentoring, through which junior employees share their perspectives and expertise with more senior colleagues. While this model is commonly used to help senior leaders learn about the latest technologies, reverse mentoring is also a powerful way to support inclusion. It helps teams bridge generational gaps and gives leaders insights into what it’s like to work in the organization from a different vantage point.^7,8

Mentorship is not just a one-time program — it’s an ongoing connection that supports a long-term inclusive culture. When brokers and leaders model and encourage mentorship, they make DEI a shared cultural norm that drives success for people and the organization alike. 

Five keys to building strong mentorship connections

Whether you’re a mentor or a mentee, meaningful relationships take intention and effort. These key steps will help you get the most out of your mentorship.⁹

1. Set goals and expectations: Mentees and mentors should establish clear goals about what they want to achieve, whether it’s developing a specific skill or becoming a more effective communicator. Set expectations around roles and responsibilities, meeting frequency, and how you’ll measure progress and success.
   
   
2. Promote active and empathetic listening: A safe environment is the foundation of a strong mentorship relationship. Be open to sharing experiences, asking questions, and actively listening without judgment.
   
   
3. Provide constructive feedback: Effective feedback helps mentees see what’s working, what needs attention, and what steps to take next. Keep it honest but supportive, focus on actions rather than personal traits, and be specific with examples.
   
   
4. Maintain confidentiality and trust: Confidentiality is crucial to a successful mentoring relationship. To build trust, mentors must protect mentees’ privacy and never share information without their consent. Mentors can also build trust by sharing their own stories, keeping their word, being consistent, and leading by example.
   
   
5. Respect diversity and inclusion: Mentoring offers unique opportunities to learn from each other’s diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Mentors should actively challenge their own assumptions and avoid bias and stereotypes. Both mentors and mentees should stay curious, open-minded, and respectful of different cultures, beliefs, and ways of thinking. This not only builds inclusive relationships, it helps create a truly inclusive culture, one connection at a time. 

Sources
¹ Center for Creative Leadership, “What Is Inclusion in the Workplace? A Guide for Leaders,” Jan. 23, 2025. 
^2,3 Mentoring Complete, “The Impact of Mentorship on Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in the Workplace.” 
^4,8 Chartered Banker, “The Role of Mentoring in Cultural Diversity,” April 30, 2024. 
⁵  Leading Consciously, “Mentoring excellence: How to foster inclusion by jointly bridging differences,” June 29, 2025 
⁶ Mentessa, “Workplace Mentoring Helps Employees Feel Inclusion and Belonging,” Jan. 10, 2023. 
⁷ Chronus, “5 Types of Mentoring for the Workplace.”
⁹ LinkedIn, “How can you create a safe mentoring environment for your mentee?”