Companies have more turnover than they’d like and are working hard to slow down outbound traffic. Many are discovering the potential of Mentor Programs and want to know how to get started. If you’re one of them and would like some basic information, read on.

Mentor Programs serve the needs of three primary constituencies: companies, colleagues and customers.

The company benefits from employees improving their individual and team performance, knowledge sharing, leadership potential, employee satisfaction, and continuity in vision and direction.

Colleagues benefit by working with individuals who are more committed to competing against the competition than each other and more savvy to the company culture through better access to positive role models.

The customer benefits when working with employees who can better serve their needs.

Mentoring requires time, trust and top leadership’s long term commitment to make it work.

We believe in building up and not tearing down. We are outcome driven. We want to succeed for ourselves, for each other,  for the company and the customer we serve.

If you are interested in developing a successful and sustaining mentoring program at your organization, you’ll need the following:

• Strong and committed buy in from the highest levels of the organization.
• A leadership team that enthusiastically communicates its commitment  to every level of the organization because anything less isn’t good enough.
• Clear guidelines that outline and describe what it takes to be a capable, credible mentor.

What does it take?

Honesty and trustworthiness. Honest mentors provide constructive, useful,  timely, and appropriate feedback. Trustworthy mentors seek to do no harm.

The patience to listen fully. Mentors allow the process to unfold, ask the right questions, and let the mentee find the solution.

The ability to create interdependent relationships that promise only what can reasonably be delivered when two intelligent people work for a common purpose.

The character strength to keep shared information confidential; to provide additional resources when there are no clear answers, and to refer to others who are subject matter experts.

A mentor is non judgmental and principled; insightful about people and  analytic about tasks.

Mentors see their role as an honor and responsibility that accompanies their positions of authority and seniority.

Mentors are as successful as their mentees perceive them to be.

Therefore, It’s essential that both players know their roles, goals, and how the game is played. Some mentees come to the table knowing their strengths, skills sets, and developmental needs. They know what they want, why they want it and what they’re willing to do to get it.  Some don’t have a clue.

Bottom line: What they get from the collaboration will be in direct proportion to what they put into it.

Successful mentees ask the right questions and expect candid, constructive feedback in return. They’re open to different perspectives and act responsibly on what they hear. They separate facts from feelings, and act on the former while owning the latter.

Mentoring programs face many challenges. Once begun, there’s no “go to” person who keeps them on track or heading in the right direction. There are no quantifiable ways to measure outcomes, no end points that are fixed in time. How do you measure success? One person at a time.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.