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Cool. So, the title of this talk is "The Truth About Mentoring Minorities." I hope you’re in the correct room to hear the right talk.
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To start off, I’m going to tell you all a bit about myself. First off, my name is Byron Woodfork. I am a software crafter for the company known as Eite. We are a consulting company with our main office based out of Chicago.
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However, I will be moving to our Los Angeles office next week. So if you’re an LA resident, feel free to say hi, as I could use all the new friends I can get. And here is my Twitter handle; it’s just my first and last name.
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To begin, I am going to share how I became a software crafter. To do that, I actually have to rewind back in time. For those of you who were around computers in the late 90s and early 2000s, you probably recognize this beast. This is a Compact Desktop Rosario, and it was my first computer.
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Someone actually gave me this computer, or rather, they gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to us. I was so fascinated that I wanted to learn the ins and outs of this computer and computers in general. So I deconstructed it, reconstructed it, and spent hours learning about the operating system and everything that came with it.
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Fast forward a bit, I eventually found myself in college. I remember having to choose between majors. I thought, okay, there’s computer science, and then there are these other majors, which I didn’t really care about, but I really wanted to do computer science.
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However, I was under the impression that to major in computer science, you had to be ridiculously smart or really good at math. I felt like I did not fit that bill, so I talked myself out of majoring in computer science. That’s probably why college didn’t pan out for me.
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Compounding this were issues like lack of funds and lack of passion to pursue what I was doing. I think I was majoring in biology or something; I don’t really remember. Upon dropping out of college, I found myself working full-time at Best Buy.
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This wasn’t exactly what I dreamed of when breaking into the tech industry, but I was here anyway. While working at Best Buy, I remember one day listening to a motivational speech or something similar, and as I listened, something clicked.
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I realized that this was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I was not chasing my dreams the way I thought I would when I was younger. With that in mind, I decided that I was going to break into the tech industry and find a way to do it.
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I researched some careers and landed upon software developer. For those of you who are familiar with MySpace, you may remember that you could create MySpace layouts using HTML and CSS. I was actually really good at that back in the day.
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I thought, hey, I used to be really good at building MySpace layouts, so becoming a software developer should be pretty easy, right? I eventually found out it wasn’t as easy as I hoped.
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Nevertheless, I continued on my path and started teaching myself how to code through various sites such as Codecademy and other tutorial sites. In doing so, I came to the conclusion that it still wasn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped.
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Realizing that, I started reaching out to friends—pretty much anyone I could find who might know someone in the software industry. I kept asking questions, and eventually, I found someone, a friend of mine named Dave Moore.
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I remember talking to Dave, and we exchanged conversations where I kept asking him questions about software-related matters. He kept responding, and as long as this guy kept responding, I was going to keep asking questions.
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Eventually, Dave realized I wasn’t going away and invited me to his company's public meetups, which took place on Fridays. He said I should come out so we could talk more about software-related matters.
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I was eager to go, so I called up Best Buy and informed them I couldn’t work on Friday—didn’t really give an explanation, just canceled and put myself on a straight path to breaking into the software industry.
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After the meetup at Dave's company, he talked to me about what he referred to as an apprenticeship. I was pretty unfamiliar with the term, and he explained that this program brings in people like myself, who have little to no experience, as well as senior developers.
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Essentially what the apprenticeship involves is teaching these newcomers how to build software or to become software crafters, as we like to refer to ourselves. The goal is for them to write clean code.
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When he told me this, I was thrilled. He offered me the position to become a software apprentice under him, and of course, I said yes. I wanted to do whatever it took to get out of my job at Best Buy and break into the tech industry.
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I didn’t even think about asking questions about pay or anything like that. I was probably willing to pay him at that point, so luckily I found out that the apprenticeship would actually involve getting paid to learn.
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At this point, I thought it sounded sketchy; you’re all going to pay me to learn software? I was okay with it—I was willing to work for free if necessary, so being paid was ten times better.
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That’s how I became an apprentice, and eventually, I graduated and became a software crafter for Eite. Around the time that I graduated from my apprenticeship, I was engaged in an interesting conversation with someone I had just come to know.
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The conversation revolved around racial relations in our country, and the person asked me why more African-American individuals aren’t successful like myself. I was told, ‘You brought yourself up from a not-so-great neighborhood, living below the poverty line as a kid.' It was a question that really struck me.
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I had to explain that I had certain opportunities that lots of people I knew growing up simply didn’t. I felt like I was one of the lucky ones, and after this conversation, I wanted to pinpoint exactly where my life changed for the better.
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This realization wasn’t just for me; I hoped it would help others like me also become successful in the software industry. Many people wonder why minorities aren’t succeeding in their respective companies.
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They wonder what stops us from breaking the upper-management barrier. Ever since I entered the industry, I have continually asked myself where the gap exists for minorities and how I can help close it.
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Eventually, it clicked for me. I realized the solution to breaking the barrier for minorities within the tech industry is providing a strong network of mentors to support them. You might be thinking, ‘Well, my company has hired minority employees, yet they still left.’
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Or, ‘They’ve hired minority employees, and they’re unhappy’ or ‘my company hired minority employees, and they couldn’t climb the corporate ladder.’ There’s a reason for that. For years, we’ve been teaching everyone exactly the same.
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We’ve been bringing in protégés and apprentices and teaching them in the same way. The problem is that you cannot duct tape people; you can’t duct tape software developers.
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We can’t expect everyone to respond to the same type of mentoring. A contributing factor to why people become unhappy in their jobs and leave is that we’re teaching them in exactly the same way, which is simply not effective for everyone.
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Our industry is changing, and because of that, we need to change with it. The way we can change is to modify how we mentor our protégés and apprentices. Mentors must adjust their teaching styles to suit the uniqueness that comes with mentoring someone who is a minority.
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To do that, we also need to become aware of the challenges that minorities face, as well as the challenges we face when mentoring someone who is a minority.
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To illustrate this, let's examine the diversity numbers among tech employees. Companies such as Intel, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft show us that the largest percentage of employees in these companies are male.
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Women comprise a noticeably lower percentage, and the majority of employees at these companies are, of course, average white individuals. If you break down the numbers, you’ll see a sad representation of African Americans and Hispanics in these companies.
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The same goes for individuals who label themselves as ‘others.’ Companies in our industry are struggling to retain minority employees. The CEO of Intel even stated he has no idea why they are losing African-American employees at such a high rate.
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A graph displaying the job quit rates reveals that for white individuals, the predicted quit rate is just below 4%. If we look at the predicted quit rate for African-Americans, it’s higher at just below 5%, and the same goes for Hispanic Americans.
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Now, consider what happens if we look at someone who is a dual minority, such as an African-American woman or a Hispanic woman. The predicted job quit rate for African-American women is actually 61% greater, and for Hispanic women, it is 67% greater.
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One of the main reasons for this disparity is that according to research, whites and minorities do not progress up the corporate ladder in the same manner. Whites are more likely to be placed on a fast track to executive positions than individuals of color, who often plateau in middle management.
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This situation leads many frustrated employees to leave their companies, creating a domino effect. This domino effect occurs as minority employees plateau in their careers and eventually leave the company.
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This leaves fewer and fewer minority employees for new entrants to look up to, which makes it more challenging for others to build relationships with people who look like them. Speaking from experience, it’s comforting knowing there’s someone at a company who looks like me and has advanced up the corporate ladder.
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A question I often ask myself before applying for a position is, how many people at this company look like me? How many people who have built successful careers here resemble me, and how many people have made it to executive positions? It’s discouraging that too often the answer is none.
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However, some companies see their minority employees succeed and manage to break through the upper management barrier. What sets them apart? How do some companies retain their minority employees?
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Through my research, I discovered common patterns among successful minority employees. The one factor they consistently had in common was a strong network of mentors to support them.
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Although minorities were not fast-tracked as their white peers, the mentors at these companies invested in them, treating them as if they were on the fast track. Even if they plateaued for a while, their mentors had their backs, which helped prevent these individuals from leaving their jobs or declining in their work performance.
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My first mentor at Eite was Dave Moore. Dave mentored me individually for several months and also brought in a co-mentor named Malcolm.
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Around four months into my apprenticeship, Dave asked if I knew what ‘scope’ was in Ruby. At the time, I was pretty new to programming, so I responded that I didn't know.
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Dave said, ‘Awesome! I set up a one-on-one with the CEO of the company to explain what scope is in Ruby to you.’ I was astonished! I thought, ‘The CEO of the company is going to teach me? Who am I, right?’
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I found that really inspiring. Dave introduced me to several other individuals who would eventually become my co-mentors at Eite. If there was a question that Dave felt he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to answer, he would connect me to someone else within the company who could help.
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If he felt I was leaning too much on him for answers, he would encourage me to reach out to people I was generally uncomfortable approaching. This technique helped me build relationships within the company and contributed to my success there.
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To be effective mentors, we need to be aware of the challenges we face when mentoring someone who is a minority. This comes with opportunities.
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Research indicates that minorities who plateau in their careers often received instructional mentoring; however, the most successful minorities who broke through the career barrier received more comprehensive and developmental relationships with their mentors.
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Instructional mentoring wasn’t sufficient. Minorities needed to feel a connection with their mentors. Research shows that cross-race and cross-gender relationships can struggle to form.
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Nonetheless, most mentorships must be cross-race or cross-gender. This leads to potential situations of negative stereotypes. Mentors should be willing to give their protégés the benefit of the doubt, investing in them.
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A mentor who holds negative stereotypes may withhold support until they believe their protégé has proven themselves. Such subtle racism can contribute to the lack of advancement for minorities in companies.
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Whites tend to be put on a fast track based on perceived potential while minorities have to demonstrate a solid record of performance over time. As a result, minorities must be overprepared for the same positions their white peers receive.
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When minorities feel they aren’t given the benefit of the doubt, they may become reserved about taking action out of fear of failure. Research also indicates that stereotypes can reduce performance within the workplace.
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This brings me to the concept of stereotype threat, which occurs when individuals feel they are at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group. Psychologists at Stanford conducted a study with both men and women who had equal math skills.
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In this study, both groups took standardized math tests. They found that women consistently underperformed, even though their skills were equal to the men’s. This led researchers to consider that stereotype threat might be the reason for this underperformance.
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They repeated the experiment, but this time they informed everyone that women performed just as well as men on this specific test. With that reassurance, women’s scores matched those of the men.
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The underlying stereotype threat was lurking in their minds and, as shown, it affected their performance. That brings me to another aspect of mentoring.
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A coach provides technical advice while a counselor discusses emotional experiences. I recall my first days as an apprentice at Eite. Each day I went to work, my goal was simple: not to get fired.
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I felt imposter syndrome strongly. I believed everyone else was better at software development than I was. I was sitting next to people who had graduated from coding boot camps, while I was self-teaching through Codecademy.
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My anxiety eventually built up, and I informed my mentor. To my surprise, he revealed that he felt the same way when he was an apprentice. Knowing he had more experience and felt as I did was incredibly reassuring.
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He told me that I was indeed good enough to be there, and I was progressing well in my career. To be effective mentors for minorities, we must take on both the roles of coach and counselor, providing not only technical guidance but also emotional support.
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It’s common for minorities to feel like outcasts. Even if there isn’t someone within the company who looks like your minority protégé, you can still offer emotional support and understanding.
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A related concept is identification and role modeling. It’s essential for a protégé to have someone they can identify with as a mentor. Dave and I had similar feelings and experiences in our apprenticeships, which helped forge our connection.
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Even with our different technical competencies, we shared struggles during our apprenticeship. He was already my role model because he was achieving remarkable things in his career.
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When a mentor sees their protégé as a reflection of themselves or as someone they aspire to be, a stronger bond can develop. However, many mentorships are cross-race or cross-gender.
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This dynamic can create protective hesitation—where one party fears offending the other due to racial or gender differences. An example of this was a case study involving a white mentor who struggled with giving honest feedback.
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He believed his minority protégé's style was too abrasive but didn't address it out of fear, believing it might come across as prejudiced. This lack of feedback ultimately resulted in the protégé causing issues within the company.
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In discussions about race, many believe it’s best not to address these issues directly, but open dialogue can lead to greater opportunities for protégés.
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When mentors and protégés can discuss race openly, it helps empower minority apprentices to embrace their unique identities. I had a mentor who pointed out that there aren’t many people in the software industry who look like me.
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This was a pivotal moment for me. He urged me to take on the responsibility of being a role model for others, essentially inspiring them like my mentors inspired me, and that encouragement was crucial.
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In conclusion, we discussed the career progression of both whites and minorities and noted that whites are often placed on fast tracks in Corporate America while minorities struggle for advancement.
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We examined diversity numbers among tech employees and acknowledged retention issues. We also talked about how to promote change, such as building strong mentor networks.
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We explored the importance of being coaches and counselors to our apprentices and addressed potential negative stereotypes and stereotype threats.
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Furthermore, we discussed how understanding identification and role modeling can be instrumental in a protégé's success. The goal of this talk was to answer the question: where is the gap for minorities, and how can I help close it?
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I believe we successfully addressed one aspect: the need to build strong networks of mentors for our apprentices. Thank you for your attention.
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To wrap this up, I’d like to mention one last thing. At Eite, we’ve always held an apprenticeship model, and recently, we had the idea of bringing apprenticeship programs to other companies.
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If you’re a company that has a group of developers—whether they are junior or senior level and they want to learn about new technology or leadership within the tech space— we’re working on a project to teach them.
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Right now, this project is called Develop—though it's just a working title. If you have any questions regarding this or anything else, feel free to ask.
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So one of the things about my mentorship that really helped me was talking after work. While we were friends before I started at Eite, once he became my mentor, it felt intimidating.
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Eventually, we managed to connect, allowing for more open dialogue. This trust developed as he shared his feelings and experiences, reminding me that the more you invest in someone, the better the relationship can become.
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If you’re looking to help minority developers on your team feel more comfortable and open up, you could start by encouraging a culture of dialogue and support.
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Find opportunities for them to connect with mentors outside the organization, not just hiring but bringing in speakers. Ask them about their concerns and their aspirations.
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Create plans together and engage them as part of the team. It’s often the case that people are reluctant to voice concerns without prompting.
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You mentioned that you have a woman of color on your team, and it’s vital not to place the burden of educating the team on her. Start by creating an organic learning environment where the team supports her.
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Discuss challenges that minorities face in the industry as a team, with the viewpoint of becoming educated and supportive.
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If people are educated on the issue, it fosters an environment of understanding instead of putting the pressure entirely on her.
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If you're either unhappy in your current situation or lack a support network, take the initiative to build connections. Reach out to those whose work you admire for advice or mentorship.
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Engage with local user groups and participate in events where you can meet a diverse set of individuals within the tech community.
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If someone in your company demonstrates racially insensitive behavior, it is necessary to address it appropriately. Rather than reporting directly to HR, consider discussing it with a trusted manager first.
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Communicating that what they're doing affects your comfort can prompt action, ensuring the matter is handled responsibly.
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Thank you for all the thought-provoking questions. I appreciate your engagement!
