A mentor's experience and hindsight can be a
valuable lesson for a person being mentored. During
my career, I have had the good fortune of working with
mentors who shared their knowledge, mistakes and
successes in their career. I have been the benefactor
of their learning. Some of my mentors were formal
teachers, such as bosses, and others were informal
relationships: friends, relatives and colleagues who
influenced my life.
One of my first mentors was an aunt who I did not
have the opportunity to see very often, but who was the
first "business" woman that I knew. She would travel
to Maine from Ohio and share with me in my early
youth stories of her business experiences. I was in
awe and knew I wanted to be an business
professional. She had a wonderful sense of humor
and shared her Board room experiences.
In 1996, I had been working inside an organization for
twenty years when another woman provided a
mentoring relationship by helping me start my own
business. She had her own business and she was
willing to share her insight as to how to created
strategies and build relationships in order to develop
my business. Both of these mentors were key to my
personal and professional growth.
Working with organizations for the past twenty-five
years, has allowed me to see who the people are in
the organizations that everyone goes to for advice and
as a sounding board. These individuals have
several characteristics in common. They know the
pulse of the organization , are good listeners and are
willing to share their experiences. The organization
does not have to formally identify these people. They
are just known and provide a valuable resource to
employees.
I have seen and been part of formal mentoring
programs in organizations and witnessed the value
for both the mentor and the person being mentored.
When the mentor shares his leadership story, career
experiences and past mistakes along the way, he
grows and has pride in what he can impart to
another person. The person who is being mentored
is able to gain insight well beyond his own experience
and knowledge.
There are several steps in creating the
infrastructure
for a good mentoring program. The first step is to
identify the goals of the program. Is it targeted for a
fast track leadership group? Is it for new
managers? Does it support existing performance and
succession programs?
The next step is to identify the readiness of the
program. Is there senior level commitment? Will the
culture support the programs? What language will be
used to define the program?
If the first two steps prove solid, then the next step
is to
identify employees who want to be mentors. Identify
the characteristics and behaviors of the mentors and
how people would be matched, length of time and
measures of success.
After training the mentors, identify a group to
match
with mentors. Set up a one year pilot program. At the
end of the first year, interview participants to determine
the outcomes. Make changes where necessary and
develop a strategy to implement across the
organization.
Creating a successful mentoring culture in an
organization develops employees, creates
commitment and pride in work and enhances
opportunities for career growth. Take the time to
assess your organization's readiness and begin
creating productive relationships that will last a very
long time.
