Meet & Greet: Don Woodring, CEO, Mentorship.CLUB

Thanks to being mentored by some of the best business minds in the world, such as CEOs of DHL, Ernst & Young, Colt Manufacturing, myGwork member Don Woodring become the CEO of a public company at 39 – one of only about 10 in the US at that time. However, he admits that if he was an ‘out gay man’ back then, he would never have been able to access the level of mentoring he received, which is why he started the Mentorship.CLUB. Here he shares his career journey and why it’s essential for the LGBTQ+ community to be able to access mentorship opportunities to get ahead in their careers.

myGwork: Have you always wanted to lead a company? Can you share your career journey with us?

Don: I truly am the luckiest man in the world, having received personal mentorship from some of my prior superiors which include the former CEO of DHL, the CEO of Colt and current Chairman of Ruger, the Founder, CEO and Chairman of an $8 billion insurance company and the former Co-Chairman of E&Y. Due to that mentorship, I became the CEO of a public company in the US at 39; one of only about 10 people under the age of 40 to achieve that milestone at that time.

Given that tremendous gift that I had received, I decided to create a platform where ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs could receive mentorship from the best mentors in the world, so I created Mentorship.CLUB. We also have some other matching features that are unparalleled in the industry. My career started by being selected by a Fortune 500 company as their top national recruit. The training I received there was outstanding. My next job was with DHL, where I was the country manager of Mexico at 29. That’s when the bug to run my own business really hit me. Life and business are all about balance. In that role I could provide balance of empathy, business and caring to so many.

myGwork: How would you describe your leadership style?

Don: Early in my career, one of the trainings I received was on Situational Leadership. To me, it made perfect sense and I have been practicing it ever since then. Essentially, you assess the person you are managing in terms of his/her readiness and capability in whatever task (s)he is performing and adjust your level of task (direction) and relationship building based on those combinations. I always include something else in that style. I meet with everyone to understand their professional goals and work to help them achieve those goals. It has always served me very well.

myGwork: What attributes do you look for when promoting/hiring employees leaders in your company?

Don: While I look at several different factors, the attribute I most value is the way a person thinks, more than the output of his/her thinking. I think that a person’s thinking process tells you much about a person’s abilities. You can assess whether they are a linear or an abstract thinker. Additionally, it’s all about results and adherence to our culture. If someone can’t overcome obstacle to attain results, the timing for them may not be right. Others? Results and performance setting and achieving goals

myGwork: How do you successfully motivate your employees?

Don: As with any kind of relationship, communication is key. It is critically important when motivating your associates in the company. I’ve always found by communicating to the entire group, you will ensure the consistency of the message. I always open the discussion for some questions. That way, the associates feel involved in the process, whether it's good news or bad.

myGwork: How important is LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace to you?

Don: I was lucky in that when I received my promotion to CEO, I was a married man with 2 boys; yes, I went to the dark side. If I were an out gay man at that time, I most certainly would not have gotten that job. Our industry was a highly industrial industry which is not very LGBTQ+ accepting. While that is very wrong, it was reality and still is today. For those reasons and others, I am very passionate about trying to hire the best people for the job, but always with an eye to ensure that the makeup of our workforce emulates that within which we live. Not only is the data on diversity and inclusion is very compelling, but it is simply fair.

myGwork: Why do you think there are so few out leaders in the workplace, and what more can organizations do to ensure more leaders who identify with LGBTQ+ are promoted into leadership roles?

Don: It’s a multipronged problem and therefore, the solution requires an approach from many angles. As the culture of acceptance has gotten much better, we still have much work to do on Inclusion. For example, only 0.3% of Directors at Fortune 500 companies are out LGBTQ executives. The average population of LGBTQ+ community is between 9-12% conservatively, so we’re clearly underrepresented.

Additionally, according to the NY Times, 83% of executives still remain closeted. I can tell you from personal experience that if I were an openly gay man, I would never have gotten my job as the CEO of a public company at 39. It was clearly not an LGBTQ+ friendly industry and I think that our outstanding board would have perceived it as too much risk. The problem is clearly with discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community. We must continue to work very actively in trying to change the cultures where we are not very accepted and included. I do believe that the DEI focus will help a lot.

myGwork: In your opinion, how important are LGBTQ+ allies at work?

Don: I think that true allies are important in every respect of our lives, not only at work. However, they can be extremely important for supporting our efforts in terms of mentors and advancing within the business.

myGwork: How are you personally promoting inclusion in the workplace? What more can organizations do to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion?

Don: Our goal is to hire a percentage of the LGBTQ+ community as they exist in reality. We use 12% as that target as we believe that it the true percentage given the data available. I believe that all companies should attempt to do the same, although you can’t always achieve this. For most companies, I think a goal should be to emulate the population of their county. However, some industries are more or less attractive to any community, so you have to take that into account.

myGwork: How important is mentoring for people that want to get ahead in their careers, especially for the LGBTQ+ community at work?

Don: I was so fortunate in that all of my mentors were some of the best business minds in the world. Thanks to that mentorship the I received, I achieved my goals in an expedited timeframe. I think that mentoring is a critical component in someone’s career. However, were I an out gay man, I would never had received that mentoring. Thankfully, our culture has changed, but clearly not enough. I think for the LGBTQ+ community, it is essential that we all get the same access to that same level of mentorship. That is one of the main reasons I started my business, Mentorship.CLUB.

We serve all people but in our process, you can select whether you just want some mentorship from an LGBTQ+ person or not. Then we’ll match you with either an LGBTQ+ mentor, an ally or someone with outstanding experience that is relevant to your question.

myGwork: Do you think more out LGBTQ+ leaders should be mentors, and why?

Don: Absolutely. In fact, it is more difficult for us to attract out leaders as there are very few in the business environment. We do not focus on college students and younger, but rather people with some years of experience. That makes it more difficult as well as our strict standards for our Mentors. We are very fortunate to have as many LGBTQ+ mentors and allies in our stable of mentors.

myGwork: Would mentoring from ‘out’ leaders help to more LGBTQ+ managers accelerate and progress in their careers?

Don: What I focused on first was the personal skills of my mentors against what I needed to learn. The fact that they were LGBTQ+ was secondary. For example, when I started another one of my businesses, I was very focused on hiring only LGBTQ+ people instead of their skills. The way I weighted and those issues was completely out of balance and it was a disaster. If you can get both backgrounds, that would be optimum, but an ally with the best skill sets is best followed by a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

myGwork: Are there enough LGBTQ+ leaders out there for the younger generations wanting to progress? How can LGBTQ+ allies step up to fill this gap? Any other tips/advice?

Don: The quick answer is no. In one of the most open and accepting countries, Sweden, the percent of out LGBTQ+ people is about 14% and when you compare that to other countries, the percentages are much lower. Particularly in business today there is great risk with coming out, so it’s difficult to find LGBTQ+ leaders as role models. It does vary by industry. You will find many more in the entertainment or fashion industry and much fewer in the manufacturing or industrial industry. There are specific industries that are more populated with our LGBTQ+ community than others.

As our culture develops, more leaders will become visible. In the meantime, we have to rely heavily on our Allies. There are many Allies available, but few have the ability or opportunity to self-identify on LinkedIn or other social media. The best thing is communication. Ask them.

myGwork: What can organizations do to ensure their LGBTQ+ staff get the mentoring they need in the absence of adequate role models/mentors in their company?

Don: Most very large organizations today have specific programs for the LGBTQ+ community, but if your company is smaller than that, it may be difficult. For example, in the US alone, about 83% of all business have less than 10 employees and only 0.13 %; yes, a VERY small number have over 1,000 employees.

That makes it very difficult for the vast majority of our community. I would encourage companies to look for other avenues to offer this service to their LGBTQ+ employees. In those size companies, it will be even more difficult to identify as LGBTQ+. I’ve always worked in outsourcing and strongly believe it’s a great alternative.

myGwork: As a mentoring expert, can you offer any other practical mentoring tips, especially for the LGBTQ+ community?

Don: Don’t focus solely on the LGBTQ+ mentors, but rather focus on anyone who has the expertise you’re looking for. Obviously, you want them to be at least an ally. For example, when I started my business, I was determined to only hire transgender, gay and lesbian people. It turned out to be a disaster as I was more focused on that versus the person having the requisite skills. I would suggest you look for a couple of mentors. One who has the LGBTQ+ experiences and has faced similar challenges and then others who have the experience that you need. Having multiple mentors is the absolute optimum solution. It was critical for me in my career.

myGwork: What was the last book you read (fiction/non-fiction)? Any interesting take-aways?

Don: A previous boss and mentor of mine, Bill Berkley gave me this book. It’s called Trust by Frances Fukuyama. I love that it’s a very intellectual book that explores the global societal culture and trust’s impact on economic prosperity. It stretches my thinking and I thrive on that. It forces you to think in a different and more abstract level versus how many business people have a tendency to be more linear and logical thinkers. Bill is one of the most intelligent person and business men that I’ve ever met. He’s a very high thinker and I appreciate that.

myGwork: What's your all-time favorite movie/show?

Don: There is no area in which I have a “favorite.” Not in sports, TV, movies, etc. I have always been like that in my entire life. But a few of my favorites are I Love Lucy, Friends, Criminal Minds and among movies are Seven Pounds (one of my favorites) among many others.

myGwork: What's your most favorite holiday destination to date?

Don: It used to be with family at my parents, but as our families have grown, unfortunately, this has dissipated. However, I usually still go home with some members of my family.

myGwork: What do you do to unwind?

Don: I am not very good at unwinding. In fact, I need some help from my now unknown boyfriend or husband. Music has always played a big part in my life, so what I love to do is to listen to some soft music and have a tequila neat with a lime. My taste in music is very varied from Luis Miguel to Tony Bennett to Elettra Lamborghini and classical. While I’m not Mexican, I just think I am. I went to high school there and I love the culture, the language, the people and the food!

You can find more about Don and connect with him here.

Check out some of myGwork's other recent Meet & Greet interviews, including:

• Booth-Laird Investment Partnership’s CEO Jonathan Booth shares why there are so few ‘out’ CEOs and leaders in the corporate world.
• Business Disability Forum’s CEO Diane Lightfoot shares the importance of being able to work in an environment where everyone is able to bring their whole selves to work, without having to conceal any aspect of who they are.
• Parexel's LGBTQ+ ally and Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Aida Sabo shares her career journey on how she made it to the top in engineering as a Latina woman.
• CTS Group CEO Tom Ray shares why the LGBTQ+ community is "very important" to his company, and how he is promoting inclusion to ensure that all staff are “welcome, feel safe and can be themselves” at work.
• London-based DJ, radio host, filmmaker, social influencer and CBK CEO Krystal Lake explains why organizations need to take homophobic remarks and labels seriously, and do more to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.
• Criteo's SVP of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Rachel Scheel on how and why she supports diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion as an ally, as well as workplace wellbeing.

• The Galaxy Trust’s CEO Garry Ratcliffe shares how being an 'out' leader with a collaborative and inclusive leadership style helps to promote equality, belonging and a blame-free culture.
• RS Components’ Group Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement Jessica Chu highlights the 'huge' importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion at work and shares why being an LGBTQ+ ally is really important to her.
• Swapi CEO Pete Howroyd who talks about workplace equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the importance of ensuring that every voice is heard.
• Unilever’s HR Vice President Richard Sharp shares why leadership has a duty to ensure that the LGBTQ+ community feels supported and included in the workplace.
• Greenhouse Software CEO Daniel Chait shares why belonging is one of the company’s core values, as well as a powerful business strategy.
• Burberry's Global Diversity & Inclusion Manager Safia Ann Kukaswadia highlights how she is addressing key challenges facing minority communities to gain fair representation within fashion and why the industry needs more LGBTQ+ role model leaders.