Mentoring can be an extremely valuable
addition to an organization's training initiatives and can help build a strong
corporate culture, which can help retain staff and
create organizational resilience. It can be self-sustaining once established, and can
make use of the organization's most experienced talent. It can take some time and effort
to set up, but then it's low-maintenance. Given its value, it's surprising that relatively
few companies set up mentoring programs in their companies.
Mentoring can be seen as the process of coaching and supporting others, and
can be especially valuable in developing leaders - in an organization prepared to invest
the necessary time and effort to make it work. Encouraging a hands-off style of
leadership with a strong developmental base which encourages empowerment,
mentoring involves a mutual buy-in to achieve
shared goals. Mentoring and coaching can be seen as a key strategy for fostering talent
and spreading knowledge in an organization. Mentoring and coaching can play a key
role in the development of all employees, not just the leaders. Mentoring by senior
leaders can help junior leaders to get promoted, as the top executives know the
mentoree or junior's strengths and abilities and
can recommend him or her for ideal opportunities. The younger leader,
thanks to the mentor, can learn about changes in the organization before they happen;
can avoid political landmines - so fewer mistakes and faux pas are made; and can be plugged into the corporate strategy more actively. |
