The legacy you leave: Mentoring and inspiring future leaders

The legacy you leave: Mentoring and inspiring future leaders

Legacy is about more than personal success. It’s about the people you lift up along the way.

For women leaders in business, supporting others is one of the most powerful ways to create lasting impact. By guiding future leaders, opening doors and sharing your story, you don’t just lead today — you shape what the workplace looks like tomorrow.

Comerica breaks down how women leaders can mentor, inspire and build a legacy that lasts by taking practical steps to support the next generation.

The most powerful legacy a leader can leave is the one that lifts others.

Key takeaways:

• Mentorship creates momentum. When women leaders guide others, they help shape careers and the future of leadership.
• Advocating for rising leaders in rooms they’re not yet in is one of the most powerful ways to create opportunity.
• Your story matters. Sharing honest lessons from your own path helps others envision and reach for success.

The Impact of Mentorship on Emerging Women Leaders

Behind every strong leader is someone who believed in them early on. For women in business, mentorship can be the turning point — the boost of confidence, clarity, or connection that changes everything.

Why mentorship matters

Mentorship helps women navigate career paths, build leadership skills and access opportunities that might otherwise stay out of reach. According to “Harvard Business Review,” women with mentors are more likely to be promoted and report greater job satisfaction.

However, in many industries, women still lack access to mentors. That makes intentional efforts and support all the more important.

The ripple effect of mentorship

Mentorship, when done right, sparks a chain reaction. A study by the “National Center for Women & Information Technology” found that 56% of women who are mentored go on to mentor others.

Every time a woman takes the time to guide or support someone, she’s not just helping one person — she’s setting off a ripple effect that can shape an entire culture. It’s how more women get seen and set up for leadership. Over time, that kind of cycle transforms teams, companies and industries from the inside out.

You can see this ripple effect in action at SpaceX, where President Gwynne Shotwell is known for mentoring women engineers and executives. By creating space for others to grow, she’s helped foster a more supportive culture.

Mentorship multiplies impact. One leader lifts another, and the cycle continues.

How to Identify and Nurture Leadership Potential

One of the most powerful things a mentor can do is recognize untapped potential. For many women early in their careers, ability isn’t the issue — visibility is. Great mentors help shine a light on skills that might otherwise go unnoticed and provide opportunities to develop them.

1. Recognize women around you

Leadership can look like someone taking charge in a meeting, but it doesn’t always. Sometimes, an emerging leader is a teammate who consistently finds creative solutions, steps up when things go wrong or quietly builds trust within a team.

Keep an eye out for signs of:

• Initiative. The drive to step up without being asked, like offering to set up a brainstorming session, proposing a new idea, or taking responsibility for solving a recurring issue.
• Problem-solving. The ability to work through challenges. This may be reworking a stalled project plan or finding a more efficient way to meet a tight deadline.
• Curiosity. A hunger to learn and grow. This is seen in people who ask thoughtful questions, seek feedback or explore how things work beyond their immediate role.
• Collaboration. Working well with others toward a shared goal. This is demonstrated by active listening, communicating clearly and supporting the team in tense moments.

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, is known for promoting talent from within. Throughout her career, she’s identified high-potential women not just by titles but by their problem-solving mindset and willingness to take initiative. Under her leadership, many of those individuals have moved into executive roles — a testament to what happens when leadership potential is recognized and nurtured.

2. Mentor with intention

Once you’ve spotted someone with leadership potential, the next step is to actively support their growth. Mentorship isn’t just about giving advice — it’s about helping someone believe in what they’re capable of.

Intentional mentorship is consistent and purposeful. It means listening without judgment, sharing what you’ve learned, and helping someone navigate both challenges and opportunities. It also means showing belief in their potential, especially when they’re still building belief in themselves.

Actionable ways to mentor women around you:

• Schedule recurring 1:1s to talk through challenges, goals and opportunities
• Share a personal story about a time you struggled or learned something valuable
• Offer perspective when they’re unsure about a decision or next step
• Encourage reflection by asking, “What would you do differently next time?”
• Celebrate wins — even small ones — to build confidence over time
• Point them to resources like books, events or learning opportunities that can help them grow

And remember: The best mentors don’t have all the answers. Instead, they help others discover their own.

3. Look for opportunities to sponsor

Mentorship is powerful, but it’s only part of the equation. A true leadership legacy also comes from sponsorship: using your influence to open doors for others.

Capitalize on sponsorship moments by:

• Speaking up when someone’s name isn’t mentioned for a big project or opportunity.
• Recommending a rising leader for an award, panel or committee.
• Nominating someone for a promotion or stretch assignment when you know they’re ready.
• Introducing a junior colleague to a senior leader or key decision-maker.
• Advocating for someone’s ideas in meetings or conversations they’re not part of.

And if you’re wondering whether the effort is worth it, consider this: According to “Harvard Business Review,” professionals with sponsors are 23% more likely to move into leadership roles. For women — who are often overlooked for high-visibility opportunities — that kind of advocacy can make all the difference.

Sponsors don’t wait for perfect timing — they help create it.

Your Story Can Inspire the Next Generation

Have you ever walked through a well-designed home and suddenly got inspired by what you’d do with your own space? Maybe it sparked ideas you hadn’t considered. A bold paint color. A smart layout. A cozy reading nook that made you think, “I could create something like this.”

That’s the power of seeing someone ahead of you on the path.

When women leaders share their stories — the wins, the setbacks and the pivots — they give others a blueprint to build from. Their success becomes something others can pull from to rise and thrive.

And it sticks. According to “Forbes,” stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone. When women leaders talk openly about their challenges and growth, they give others something tangible to learn from — a blueprint for what’s possible.

Take Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo. She’s known for speaking openly about navigating work-life balance, breaking barriers as a woman of color, and staying grounded while leading a global brand. Her candor has empowered countless women to pursue leadership paths they might not have considered otherwise.

How to Share Your Story in a Way That Sticks

You don’t need a TED Talk or a bestselling memoir to tell a powerful story. Some of the most impactful moments come from honest conversations, team meetings or LinkedIn posts that show others what’s possible.

Here’s how to make your story resonate:

• Be real, not perfect. Talk about the detours, doubts, and moments you almost gave up. That’s what people connect with.
• Make it relatable. Share experiences that others can see themselves in, like navigating a tough transition, advocating for yourself or learning from failure.
• Keep it clear and focused. Choose one key moment or lesson and build around it. What changed? What did you learn? How did you grow?
• Offer a takeaway. End with a lesson, question, or encouragement that gives your audience something to reflect or act on.
• Start where you are. Whether you’re speaking at an event, mentoring a colleague, or posting online, you never know who might need to hear your story today.

Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to take their next step.

Building a Leadership Legacy That Lasts

When your career is said and done, people might remember your results — but they’ll never forget how you made them feel or the doors you helped open. A strong leadership legacy shapes people, company cultures and opportunities for women long after you’ve moved on.

Importantly, legacy isn’t just about big, headline-grabbing achievements.

Often, it’s the quiet, consistent decisions that shape lasting change. It’s the mentorship program you helped launch. The inclusive hiring policy you championed. The team members you invested in who now lead with confidence because you believed in them early.

Consider Anita Borg, founder of the Institute for Women and Technology. She created a legacy by building programs that still support women in tech today. Her vision lives on through AnitaB.org, which advocates for inclusive tech workplaces and supports thousands of women through scholarships, mentorship and community.

Here are some practical ways you can continue building your legacy today:

• Document your process. Share what worked (and what didn’t) so others can build on your progress.
• Institutionalize your values. Create or champion programs that reflect your leadership values, like professional development or opportunities for women.
• Support the pipeline. Look for ways to help early-career women — through scholarships, development programs or community events.
• Stay visible. When others see you leading, they imagine what’s possible for themselves.

Legacy is defined by who you lift up along the way.

The Future of Leadership Starts with You

Mentoring future leaders. Spotting and nurturing talent. Sharing your story. Building a lasting legacy. These are actions that shape the workplace for the next generation.

Whether you’re managing a team or simply leading by example, the steps you take today can empower more women to lead tomorrow. What will you do?

This story was produced by Comerica and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.