Business Solutions for June 2016

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JUNE 2016 3
business solutions
W hat is mentoring? Generally
speaking, mentoring refers
to the activities conducted
by an experienced person (the mentor)
in order to help another person (the
mentee) achieve career goals. Mentors
use a variety of approaches including
coaching, training, and counseling. Men-
toring relationships depend on creating
an informal, trusting environment in
which the mentee feels comfortable dis-
cussing their needs and circumstances
openly with the mentor. The term comes
from Greek mythology, where Mentor
was a trusted counselor to Odysseus.
According to the American Society for
Training & Development (ASTD), more
than 75 percent of executives surveyed
consider mentoring to be one of the key
factors in their business success.1 And
it’s not just the mentee that benefits
from mentoring — so do the mentors
and the companies that encourage
such relationships.
Mentoring programs offer an inexpensive
yet highly effective way for companies
to enhance their employees’ individual
growth and on-the-job performance.
Each employee being mentored gains the
counsel and insights they need to max-
imize their career potential. (After all,
discussing your work with someone
else that has “been there, done that”
can help anyone—even other execu-
tives—make better decisions.) At the
same time, mentors themselves gain
enormous satisfaction from helping
someone else develop new skill sets.
In addition to improved employee
performance, your company gets other
valuable benefits from a mentoring
program, including the following:
More Successful Recruitment
A mentoring program sends an impor-
tant message to prospective employees
that your company values personal and
professional development and makes
communication a priority.
Improved Retention
Mentoring can increase the sense of
company loyalty felt by employees and
thereby decrease your turnover rate.
New Employee Orientation
A new employee’s entry into your
company’s culture and organizational
system can be greatly streamlined by
a mentoring program.
Enhanced Diversity
The guidance provided by a mentoring
program can help your company provide
a more level “playing field” for women
and minorities.
If you’re interested in beginning or
expanding your own mentoring program,
keep in mind the features that successful
programs have in common. First of
all, experts stress that the most critical
element is a supportive climate—senior
management must be visible, frequent,
and on-going program advocates. Sec-
ondly, mentoring relationships should
be voluntary and based on compatible
personalities, values, interests, and work
styles. It’s also essential that both mentor
and mentee establish clear expectations
and goals from the beginning, including
how often meetings will take place.
Finally, make sure evaluation is part of
the process. For example, some mentoring
programs encourage each mentee to
complete a personal development plan
that can be used throughout the mentor-
ing relationship to measure progress.
Mentoring:
A Win-Win-Win Activity
Mentor, mentee, and company all reap rewards
More than 75% of executives
surveyed consider mentoring
to be one of the key factors
in their business success.