Develop inspirational mentors who create phenomenal change for your people.
There are many reasons why a mentoring programme is a must for your organisation. When I think of the feedback I have received over the years that I have been helping companies design and implement mentoring programmes, the first conversation goes something like this:
- We don’t have a succession plan in place
- People often get thrown in the deep end when they start with us
- Our onboarding programme badly needs improving
- We haven’t got a talent pipeline
- Staff satisfaction rates are pretty low and haven’t shifted for a while now
- There is quite a lot of team friction
- Identifying and enabling staff to engage in professional development that helps them grow in their job role is adhoc
- Low staff engagement in training and development is a problem for us
These are pretty large issues and challenges for any organisation. And a pretty big ask of your mentoring programme – and therefore your mentors – to manage and solve.
Mentors are pivotal change agents in your organisation, I’m sure you know this. They influence staff morale, people capability, staff satisfaction, career development, and a whole lot more.
Your mentors are people who care about employee wellbeing (and their own), and want to help others succeed, develop, and stay with your company.
That’s why it is so important for you to:
- Get clear on why and how mentoring will support your people and contribute to the growth and success of your organisation.
- Have a clear framework for your programme so that you and your employees know how they can engage in and get the most out of mentoring.
- Get really clear on who your mentors are and the qualities and skills you need them to possess.
- Have good processes in place to establish your mentoring programme as a flagship for career, team, and leadership development.
- Have a solid process in place to select, train, and continually support your mentors.
What can you do right now?
What is one action you can take this week to make sure your mentoring programme and your mentors are contributing to and creating the workplace environment you want for your people?
Here are some ideas to help you decide:
- Do a needs analysis (I help companies do this with my Mentoring Programme Diagnostic). This may be to evaluate how your existing programme is doing or put in motion your first step to implementing a programme.
- Ask your mentors how they are feeling about their role and whether they need any support
- Find out how your mentees are doing – what outcomes are they achieving because of the mentoring support they are getting?
How can I help you?
If you would like help with doing your programme needs analysis or want to know how you can train and support your mentors, get in touch and let’s talk: https://petersen.consulting/book-a-call/
To your mentoring programme success.