Wednesday  September 23, 2009

Topic: Employee Management

Reference: Francis, Laura M. “Shifting the Shape of Mentoring.” T+D, September 2009. pp.36-40.

I am continuing to look for additional ways to engage employees in self-improvement and personal growth. Training and recognition have been important contributors to the effort. So have increased compensation and supervisory oversight. One area that I am starting to explore is the area of mentorship. Mentoring is thought to be a powerful tool to support development, knowledge transfer, and connection in difficult times. In fact mentoring may be even more important in tough times as financial incentives decline and personal stress increases. In the referenced article the commentator looks at current efforts in mentoring and notes several interesting observations including the increased use of creative templates for communications and idea exchange. The commentator also notes the increased use of e-mentoring tools and webinars. The webinars are useful for outreach, recruiting and increased participation. The author also cautions that mentoring is not meant to be a stand alone area and works best when it is combined with other substantive areas. “It is meant to be used through out an employee’s lifecycle, in connection to the many development opportunities that companies have in place”. This puts mentoring in a new light and frankly supports its relevance. I have seen many mentoring programs break down because of artifical business concerns, poor design and poor senior management participation. Some things are harder to mandate than others. Anchoring the concept in a real business concern or issue helps. As does using tools to make interaction easier. Adding peer reinforcement and accountability also helps support the foundation for mentoring. As a result, I urge you to consider a mentoring program for your organization. Let me know how you are leveraging mentoring in your organization.

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