The short answer: There are three core mentorship styles. Coaches provide structured guidance, actionable advice and measurable goals. Guides offer support and encouragement while letting mentees navigate challenges themselves. Advisers share hard-won experience and insight, then step back and let the mentee decide. The most effective mentors know which one they naturally are — and the best way to find out is to start mentoring.
Here’s a secret most mentoring programs won’t tell you: the women who hesitate longest before becoming mentors are usually the ones who’d be best at it. They’re waiting until they feel “senior enough”, or until they’ve worked out what kind of mentor they’d be. Meanwhile, only 28 per cent of people working in tech identify as women, just 5 per cent of ASX 200 CEOs are women, and female founders attracted a mere 0.7 per cent of startup funding in the past year. The next generation cannot wait for you to feel ready.
So instead of asking am I qualified to mentor? — ask a better question: which kind of mentor am I?
The three mentorship styles, defined
The Coach. Coaches thrive on structure. They set measurable goals with their mentees, break big ambitions into actionable steps, and hold people accountable. If you’re the colleague who instinctively turns “I want to move into product management” into a 90-day plan, you’re a coach. Best suited to mentees who know where they want to go and need momentum.
The Guide. Guides lead from beside, not in front. They offer encouragement, ask the questions that unlock a mentee’s own thinking, and let her navigate challenges independently — with a safety net. If people tell you they leave conversations with you feeling clearer and braver, you’re a guide. Best suited to mentees building confidence or facing crossroads moments.
The Adviser. Advisers trade in lived experience. They’ve negotiated the salary, survived the restructure, made the career pivot — and they share that insight candidly, then respect the mentee’s right to choose her own path. If your war stories are your superpower, you’re an adviser. Best suited to mentees facing decisions you’ve already faced.
Most mentors are a blend, with one dominant style. None is better than the others — what matters is that your style is authentically yours. Mentees can spot a performed persona in minutes; they trust the real thing.
How to identify your style
Self-awareness is the starting point. Reflect on your career journey: when you’ve helped someone before — a junior colleague, a friend changing careers — what did you actually do? Did you build them a plan (coach), talk them through it (guide) or tell them what happened when you faced the same thing (adviser)?
Then check your reflection against reality. Ask peers and anyone you’ve informally mentored how your guidance lands. The gap between how we think we help and how we actually help is where most mentoring goes wrong — and feedback closes it.
Finally, stay flexible. Each mentee is unique, and strong mentors flex toward what she needs while staying consistent in who they are. A natural coach can soften the structure for a mentee in crisis; a natural guide can get directive when a deadline looms. That balance is what builds trust.
The fastest way to find your style? Practise it
You won’t discover your mentorship style in your head. You’ll discover it in your third conversation with a real mentee, when you notice what you instinctively reach for.
That’s exactly what the Women Love Tech Mentorship platform is built for. The structured platform lets you engage with mentees, receive feedback on how your mentoring lands, and access resources that sharpen your skills as you go — a safe environment to experiment until your style clicks.
And here’s the part that removes your last excuse: joining as a mentor is completely free. Mentees join for US$9 a month, connecting with mentors across Australia — with a particular focus on regional areas — and globally across the USA, UK, Asia and India. You don’t need to be a CEO. You need to be one step ahead of someone else, willing to reach back.
Because mentorship in tech was never just about technical advice. It’s about building confidence, fostering leadership and creating the supportive environment many of us never had. Whether you’re a coach, a guide or an adviser, there is a woman on the platform right now whose career would change because you showed up.
Become a mentor — or find one — on the Women Love Tech Mentorship platform.
FAQ: Mentorship styles and the WLT program
What are the three main mentorship styles? Coaching (structured goals and accountability), guiding (encouragement and questions that build independence) and advisory (sharing experience while the mentee makes the decisions).
Do I need to be senior to become a mentor? No. Effective mentoring only requires being further along than your mentee in the area she’s navigating — and the willingness to share honestly.
How much does the Women Love Tech Mentorship platform cost? It’s free to join as a mentor. Mentees join for US$9 per month, with access to mentors and bite-sized courses.
Who can join? Everyone is welcome — the program connects members across Australia (including regional areas), the USA, UK, Asia and India.
How do I sign up? Join at the Women Love Tech Mentorship platform, or contact the Women Love Tech team to learn more about becoming a mentor.Mentorship is most effective when aligned with a mentor’s natural style. Female tech leaders seeking to empower women in tech should consider their strengths, communication preferences, and approach to problem-solving when defining their mentorship style.
