A mentorship program can be a game-changer at all levels of your organization. Learn more about how to cultivate and develop mentorship in this post.
Why a Mentorship Program is a Win-Win for Your Organization
Indisputably, an organization's greatest resource is its employees. And one of the best ways to cultivate this resource and a successful organization at the same time is by developing mentors within that organization. Without a doubt developing a mentorship program will lead to increased success on all levels, and in this post, we explain how.
Today, many successful companies invest in their employees through in-house mentorship programs. They manage their human resource challenges, including employee retention, succession planning, and productivity, by developing these programs. As a result, several benefits are realized, including validating the organization cares about its employees and provides support and resources as part of their investment in them.
What is mentorship?
Wikipedia defines mentorship as "a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The mentor may be older or younger than the person being mentored, but they must have a certain area of expertise."
Does that definition line up with how you feel about mentorship? What would you add or change?
The value of a mentorship program
This definition appears to be simple. But I have learned through consulting with small and large teams that it's rarely considered a form of training.
Many individuals choose not to ask for mentorship support from colleagues simply because they don't want to impose. Additionally, many employees appear to be unaware of the value of mentorship, including the valuable resources mentors share from their work and life experiences.
Mentorship has played an essential role in my personal and professional development. Some mentors are with you forever, and others for short periods, depending on your needs. Without question, I have several mentors I can confidently go to for advice, and those positive experiences have inspired me to mentor others.
Why a mentorship program is a win-win situation for your organization
Developing mentors within your organization is instrumental to optimizing productivity in the workplace. When you develop a mentorship program, it's a win-win situation for both the organization and the employees who take part in mentorship programs—they both gain from the opportunity.
7 Simple Ways to Cultivate Mentorship at Your Organization
Establishing a mentorship program at your organization is a great place to start. But there are plenty of other steps you can also take to help cultivate mentorship at work. Many of these steps can make an impact today. Then, your entire organization can start benefiting from mentorship right away.
Developing influential mentors is a goal every organization should strive for. To develop effective mentors, they need significant attributes. If you want to cultivate mentorship, these are seven of the ways to start:
- Aspire to support others while maintaining a positive attitude.
- Commit to lifelong learning to continue to grow and develop.
- Provide the mentee time to reflect on questions and experiences to advance self-awareness. (Discover five ways to strengthen self-awareness in this post)
- Be an active listener to allow the mentee the opportunity to speak. (Learn more about how listening instantly improves employee relations in this post)
- Observe body language to recognize when your mentee is in or out of their comfort zone. (Your body language has a significant impact on how you interact with others. Learn more about this effect here)
- Be non-judgmental and open-minded to allow the mentee to speak freely.
- Deliver honest, objective feedback to the mentee and encourage empathy.
Consider strengthening your organization today by developing influential mentors. Contact Marshall Connects today to enhance productivity in your workplace. Providing a mentorship program for your employees can make the difference between high and low-functioning teams. We can help!
This article was originally published on February 9, 2019, and has been updated (August 2021).
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