For at least one pair, LRW mentorship program is making a difference
10/25/2024
By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor
A year ago, the League of Railway Women (LRW) launched a formal mentorship program to help women new to rail connect and learn from experienced rail industry professionals.
On Oct. 23, the LRW hosted a webinar that demonstrates how the program works. Moderated by Denise Mora, diversity, equity and inclusion specialist at The Greenbrier Cos. Inc., the webinar featured a Q&A with Kristen Canfield, a tax programmer at Indurante & Associates Inc., a provider of rail-car property tax services; and her mentor, Nicole McKinstry, vice president of sales operations at Greenbrier.
Canfield and McKinstry met through the online MentorCity™ platform that LRW offers to match mentees with potential mentors. Mentees create a profile on the app, including career skills, strengths, goals or other issues they hope to talk about with their mentor. They can request a specific mentor, or the app will determine one based on experience and/or expertise. The app can even help set up meetings.
When she filled out her profile on the app, Canfield was looking for a mentor who could help guide her on a path toward an executive-level position. She also sought a mentor who was a parent — someone with the business chops who also knew how to juggle work with a personal life.
Meanwhile, McKinstry was at a point in her career where she was ready to share her experiences with a younger woman seeking to move up in the rail industry. As McKinstry filled out her application to serve as a mentor, she thought about what it was like for her to try to climb the career ladder in an industry where there were few women to look up to.
Kristen Canfield League of Railway Women webinar“One of the benefits that Kristen and I have [as mentor-mentee] is that she is where I was 10 years ago in my career and faces a similar path forward that I’ve already taken,” McKinstry said. “That’s what I wanted to share, my experience and what I’ve done over the past 15 years in the industry.”
Although the LRW mentorship program is set up so that mentees can meet online with mentors based anywhere in the country, Canfield and McKinstry had the unique experience of meeting in person. Both attended the Railway Supply Institute conference in September 2023, where they met in person during an LRW networking event.
“It was my first event, and I didn’t know anyone,” Canfield said. “And Nicole came up and just started talking to me.”
Later, Canfield observed how McKinstry worked the showroom, deftly networking and engaging with clients. The next day, the two bumped into each other at the airport, then sat together as they waited for their respective flights. Canfield used the time to share what she was looking for in a mentor and quiz McKinstry about her job.
By the end of that conversation, Canfield concluded that McKinstry was her perfect mentor match. Not only did McKinstry have the business chops that Canfield was looking for, she also was a busy mom, juggling work appointments and deadlines along with her kids’ activities.
Although McKinstry didn’t have a formal mentor as she ascended in her career, she did have colleagues she could talk to and learn from. So, in one of their first mentor-mentee conversations, McKinstry relayed her personal story to Canfield.
Nicole McKinstry League of Railway Women webinar"My goal [as a mentor] is to share my successes, as well as my opportunities where I could have done something better or different,” said McKinstry. “My goal is to be open, honest and transparent.”
McKinstry believes the mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street. Through her experience with Canfield, she hopes to strengthen her own leadership skills and qualities. The pair used the MentorCity app to help set goals for Canfield to achieve.
A year into the mentorship, Canfield is pleased with the results. She has gained new skills and is grateful for McKinstry’s time and guidance.
“Getting out of your office and talking to someone who has experience and knowledge is so important,” she said. “We should look for relationships that inspire us and recognize those people as resources. There is so much growth that can happen.”