Ellen Ensher, Ph.D.
Professor of Management, College of Business Administration
- Los Angeles CA UNITED STATES
Media
Biography
Ellen A. Ensher, Ph.D. is a Professor of Management at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Ensher was recognized by Poets & Quants as one of the top 50 “Best Undergraduate Business Professors” in 2022. Dr. Ensher was the past recipient of LMU’s teaching award, the President’s Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Award, the Eddy Award by the Los Angeles City Council, top five finalist for Mentor of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, is a former Fulbright awardee.
Dr. Ensher is a leading expert in mentoring and careers with four courses available on LinkedIn Learning, over 50 published academic articles and book chapters, and her own book, “Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out of Their Relationships” with co-author Susan Murphy. Dr. Ensher has also published in leading journals including Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Vocational Behavior and The Leadership Quarterly.
She is a well-regarded speaker and workshop leader at conferences and for public and private organizations globally. Ellen has spoken to executives and leaders at organizations including City of Los Angeles, Kraft Foods, Legg Mason, LinkedIn, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Teleperformance, the United States Embassy, and the United States Navy.
Dr. Ensher is often quoted in leading media outlets including Bloomberg, Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
For more information, please visit her website: ellenensher.com
Education
Claremont Graduate University
Ph.D.
Organizational Psychology
1997
USC
M.A.
Public Administration
1990
LMU
B.A.
Psychology
1987
Social
Areas of Expertise
Industry Expertise
Accomplishments
Eddy Award
2018-05-09
Provider: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Faculty Honoree
2017-04-23
Provider: Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society
Fritz B. Burns Distinguished Teaching Award
2017-04-20
Provider: Loyola Marymount University
Woman of the Week
2017-03-15
Provider: MM. LaFleur
Fulbright Specialist Grant Recipient
2017-02-20
Provider: Fulbright Specialist Program
Best Researcher/Scholar Award
2015-10-14
Provider: U.S. Higher Education Faculty Awards, Volume 2
Best Teacher Award
2015-10-14
U.S. Higher Education Faculty Awards, Volume 2
Best Paper Winner
2012-01-01
Provider: Western Academy of Management
Best Paper Winner
2010-10-01
Provider: Western Academy of Management
Delta Sigma Pi Inductee
2007-07-22
Provider: Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity, Delta Sigma Chapter
Herstory Award Winner
2007-03-01
Provider: Loyola Marymount University
American Fellowship $27,000 Grant Recipient
2002-05-22
Provider: American Association of University Women
Best Paper Winner
2002-01-01
Provider: Western Academy of Management
Ascendant Scholar Award
2001-02-14
Provider: Western Academy of Management
Affiliations
- Western Academy of Management
- Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIHRA)
- Association for Talent Development (ATD)
- Academy of Management
Links
Media Appearances
Podcast
"A Road Map for Finding a Mentor" online
2019-02-08
In this 2019 podcast, reporter Rebecca Greenfield tries out Ellen Ensher’s steps to getting a mentor including a truly inspiring courage ritual. Give it a listen for the steps and humorous missteps related to finding a mentor.
The Top 100 Leadership Speakers for 2018
Inc. print
2018-04-01
Ellen was named one of the Top 100 Leadership Speakers of 2018 on Inc.com.
How to email a potential new mentor -- the right way
CNN Money print
2017-10-05
Emailing a potential new mentor can be scary. In this article, Ellen discusses some tips that will get a mentoring relationship off to a great start.
TV Interview
Chicago's "First Business" Edition tv
Dr. Ensher discusses defining moments and mentoring.
Podcast
"Women with Balls Podcast" with Casey DeStefano online
In this podcast, Dr. Ensher speaks with Casey DeStefano, Founder of Woman with Balls in the Air, on topics like the tyranny of the to do list, how I built a team of mentors to navigate through cancer, and how race and gender impacts mentoring.
Podcast
"How to be awesome at your job" Podcast with Pete Mockatis online
In this podcast with Pete Mockatis, Dr. Ensher discusses how she doubled her income in one day, the real meaning of mentorship, and two valuable things every protégé can provide their mentor.
Podcast
MindTools Podcast Feature online
In this podcast, Dr. Ensher provides the basics of how to get a mentor and how to succeed and shares personal stories from her own experience and research of best practices.
Newspaper Citation
The Wall Street Journal print
With bad mentors, “It’s better to break up than make up.” In this Wall Street Journal article, Dr. Ensher discusses how to break up with bad mentors gracefully. Ideally, it is best to salvage mentoring relationships and address problems directly, but sometimes it is not possible and this article will provide strategies to help you break up professionally.
Newspaper Citation
The Wall Street Journal print
Dr. Ensher discusses finding and working with the right mentor.
Be a Mentor: Get Ahead by Giving Back
Money Magazine print
Everybody knows that getting a mentor can help you in your career but what about having a protégé- how can that help you? And yes, we can all use some “good person” social capital but what about cold hard cash? Recent studies show that people who mentors other financial as well as emotional dividends. Dr. Ensher had the pleasure of speaking with a Money Magazine reporter about this idea.
Forget Advisors - How to Find and Woo a Power Mentor
Entrepreneur Magazine print
Dr. Ensher had the pleasure of being interviewed by Gwen Moran, a writer for Entrepreneur Magazine and discussed how to connect with power mentors and develop relationships with them.
7 tricks to make time for mentoring even when you're too busy
Fast Company print
Taking on a mentee can be demanding of your time. Here’s how both mentor and mentee can get the most out of the investment.
6 Ways to be a Kick-Ass Mentor
Fast Company print
There are mentors, and then there are kick-ass mentors. And if you’re going to take on the mantle of giving someone else career guidance, insight, and advice, you might as well aspire to greatness.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Look Beyond a Mentor's Gender, Race and Age
Forbes print
A recent Forbes article titled, “Why Entrepreneurs Should Look Beyond A Mentor’s Gender, Race And Age” quoted Dr. Ensher on a couple of occasions.
How to Find and Use a Mentor
Forbes print
Though the best mentor-protégé relationships evolve organically, it’s possible to go out and find a mentor, says Ellen Ensher, a professor of management at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and author of Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most out of Their Relationships. In a human resources course she teaches each semester, Ensher assigns students to go out and find their own mentors.
Articles
Break Up With Bad Breakout Sessions
Talent Development MagazineEllen A. Ensher, Elizabeth Hodos
2020-11-09
Ellen Ensher’s coauthored article titled “Break Up With Bad Breakout Sessions” was published by Talent Development Magazine.
