Human Resources
Develop a Work Culture that Mentors
Written by Richard San Juan for Gaebler Ventures
Employees are the most important assets that a company can have. This is especially the case in a startup company where the entrepreneur will depend heavily on the small number of employees he or she may have during the early stages of the company.
Employees are challenge and motivated when they are able to learn new procedures and processes.
Instituting a mentoring program in the company can help keep employees stimulated and willing to learn. When a company adds a valuable program such as this, it demonstrates to the employees and future employees that the company is willing to invest in them and that the company cares about their career development.
Mentoring programs benefit not only the employees but also the company. By having an organizational learning program, it builds employee morale within the company and leads to fewer employees leaving the company.
With more employees willing to stay, the company can properly train them to be future managers and leaders of the organization. As such, in the long run, the company benefits as well.
Setting Up a Mentoring Program
When setting up the mentoring program, it is essential to also incorporate some kind of structure and guidelines. For example, management must decide what the goals of the mentoring program should be, the number of candidates eligible for the program, and how exactly to implement the program without suffering a significant drop in work productivity.
Therefore, there is a good deal of strategic planning that has to take place when implementing a mentor program. Match up the candidate's interests with a current executive or project manager who is willing to volunteer their time to mentorship.
Through this mentoring program, relationships can be built over time. Effective relationships and continued development are the foundations of a successful company or organization. Organizations that find meaningful ways for their employees to connect are more likely to realize greater productivity, enhanced career growth and overall improvement in employee performance. Group mentoring connects employees and advances learning within your organization.
Measuring Success
When trying to analyze and determine whether or not the mentoring program in an organization or company has been successful, there are clearly certain results to observe.
For the candidate in the program, has the mentoring program helped him or her achieve or satisfy personal goals that were defined in the beginning of the program?
From the perspective of company management, has the mentoring program succeeded in developing a candidate into an executive or leader of the company? It would also be useful to see the percentage of who completed the mentoring program stayed at the company longer than those who were not accepted into the mentoring program.
In the end, a company-sponsored mentoring program achieves its fullest potential when management at all levels support the ultimate goal of developing the future leaders of the employees and institute organizational learning. It is vital that management truly believes in the mentoring program, because if the mentoring program is being conducted just because it is part of company policy, it will not have as great of an effect.
Richard San Juan is currently pursuing an MBA degree with an emphasis in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He is particularly interested in writing about business news and strategies.
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