Women at Visma Mentoring Circle Program bring women with different backgrounds, roles and from different companies within the Visma group together to network and drive personal development.
Unlike traditional 1-1 mentoring, this mentoring circle functions as a group where everyone can share and learn from each other. This way, participants get the opportunity to build a professional network with other women at Visma and get to share experiences, knowledge and inspiration.
Want to join the ambition? Check out our vacant positions here.
Why do we have a mentoring program?
Ellen Snedal, Benedikte Friis Braathen and Alicia Halaas are the women behind the mentoring program that has been arranged three times so far. But what sparked the idea to create this program in the first place?
Ellen first got curious about mentoring after listening to an inspiring talk by Birgit Liodden, the former director in Nor-Shipping. In her talk, Liodden mentioned that she has had several mentors during her career.
Ellen was also inspired by the trainee-concept in Visma, where young talents during the course of 12 months get the opportunity to work on various projects in the different Visma companies – thus building everlasting relations and competence across the organisation. These things triggered Ellen to start her own mentoring program based on networking for women in Visma.
– The main idea behind the program is that everyone has something to contribute, and everyone can learn something from others, Ellen says.
Both Alicia and Benedikte found it to be an important initiative and decided to join the management group. The three of them had never worked closely together, nor did they know much about each other. As they started to develop the mentoring program, they also developed a close friendship:
– I have learned so much about both myself and others through the Mentoring Circle program. It’s great to see the many talented women that work here in Visma, and how many of them really want to accomplish big things, Alicia explains.
– The very core of influencing one’s own career path is about making yourself noticeable
One of the purposes of the mentoring program is to encourage women in Visma to become braver; daring to take on challenges and stand out. Ellen believes the very core of influencing your own career path is to do just this: make both yourself and the job you do more noticeable.
– There are many women in Visma that holds leadership ambitions, or that wants to take more initiative to positively impact their own career. However, often when you ask leaders about how they ended up in their role, many of them say it is a coincidence. Women often hope that someone will see us for the good work that we do, and then lift us up, but for that to happen we must first take initiative to become more visible ourselves, Ellen says.
Alicia believes women should become better at stepping outside of their comfort zone and dare to show off their strengths. She mentions social media as an important platform for becoming more visible within the organisation you work for by sharing experiences and showcase skills.
360-degree personal development
The Mentoring Circle group has worked hard to improve the program after the first time it was arranged, and the participant’s feedback from the last two events was very good.
– A proof that the program has been successful is that the participants have been meeting outside of the program, which is the very goal of the program: that the participants continue to use the network they have built through Mentoring Circle. Oftentimes, you might feel like you are the only one facing a certain challenge. However, very often you are not alone, and several people are finding themselves in the same situation. In these moments, it is great to have a solid network where you can share experiences and collaborate with others, Benedikte says.
The program can be described as a 360-degree personal development, and consists of four gatherings with different topics that touch upon both professional and personal development and growth:
- Team building: Get to know the group and set ambitions for what you want to achieve with the program.
- Social styles: How do other people perceive you? Learn about your own behaviour patterns and how to improve your interaction with others.
- Social media: How to promote your own brand in social media.
- Personal development: Get inspired to become more confident in yourself and your role.
Who can apply?
If you want to take part in a social, personal and professional challenge where you get the opportunity to build a network and get to know other women at Visma, the Mentoring Circle is the right place for you.
All women that work at Visma in Oslo are welcome to apply. You don’t need to have leadership ambitions to participate. There is a limited number of seats, and as a participant, you commit to taking part in all four meetings. It is also expected that you are an active and engaged participant who is ready for exciting challenges and lots of fun! The next program starts in autumn 2019.
At Visma, we believe that diversity and inclusive thinking sparks better business results. We are always on the lookout for new, talented people to join our ambitions. Interested? Take a look at our vacant positions!
