How can I establish a leadership mentoring programs within the organization?
Positive mentoring relationships have the potential to bring tangible benefits for the individuals concerned and, more importantly, for the organization. The concept of mentoring is not new, and informal mentoring relationships always have been an important element in leadership development. However, today, many organizations are attempting to harness the power of mentoring in a more formal manner.
Formalizing a framework to support effective mentoring within an organization has been shown to enhance employee performance but also serves to build stronger relationships across the wider leadership team. It is successful for many reasons, including:
- It offers a flexible approach.
- It is people-centred in its approach.
- It balances organizational and individual needs.
- It allows for two-way communication.
- It has a broad development focus.
- It can aid succession planning.
- It focuses on Individual needs.
Successful mentoring programs have many advantages, but the process is not without risks. Without real commitment from both mentors and mentees, as well as a viable structure and defined logistics, the initiative is likely to fail and may do more harm than good. Therefore, in developing a mentoring programs, you need to consider four interdependent dimensions:
- Organisation
- Does the culture of the organisation support the mentoring concept?
- Are there already strong relationships between senior and more junior leaders?
- Will the organisation provide the necessary resources and support to underpin the mentoring programme?
- Programme
- What are the specific goals for the programme?
- What will the programme entail?
- How will mentors and mentees be matched up? How long will the programme last?
- Participants
- Will the mentors and the mentees be committed to the concept?
- Do the mentors have the required ‘mentoring skills at present?
- Development
- How will the tangible developmental outcomes for each individual be defined?
- How will their needs be met by the mentoring programme?
Also recognise that, although the likely mentors – senior leaders – already have the skills, knowledge and experience that will be of benefit to the more junior leaders, they may not necessarily have the appropriate talents and qualities required to develop an effective mentoring relationship.
A successful mentor requires many personal attributes to enable them to create a positive mentoring environment. In conjunction with these skills, the mentor must possess a broad understanding of adult psychology and behavior, as well as highly effective communication skills. In developing a program, consider these issues.
The key steps in developing a mentoring programme are shown in the diagram below.
After one full cycle of the mentoring program, it may be necessary to adjust aspects of it, depending upon outcomes. For the second cycle, it is advisable to rotate mentors and mentees to facilitate broader learning and relationship-building.
