How to Develop a Successful Mentorship Program

Mentorship programs, if properly implemented and run, can seriously boost employee engagement. So, what makes a great mentor?|Mentorship programs, if properly implemented and run, can seriously boost employee engagement. So, what makes a great mentor?|Mentorship programs, if properly implemented and run, can seriously boost employee engagement. So, what makes a great mentor?

Mentorship programs, if properly implemented and run, can seriously boost employee engagement. Research shows very clearly that providing a mentor or coach who can offer insights into the corporate culture, explain the organizational structure and help the new employee understand certain processes, is a major contributor to increased productivity and lower turnover. So, what makes a great mentor? How can you recognize leaders within your organization to make a successful mentorship program?

Besides being a model worker (we will get to that in a minute), the best mentors are those who have compassion and an open mind. If some of the key aspects of mentorship are listening and communicating, empathy and patience need to come into play.

Mentors should be the examples of what your company is, and what it strives to be. They are successful at their role, and have a passion for the company. They inspire their mentee to do as they do, and lead by example.

While corporate cultures vary from cut throat to inspiring, what shouldn’t change is a mentor’s belief in their mentee. A good mentor will make sure that they keep in touch frequently, be honest if there are changes that the mentee should make, keep all discussions private, and be a cheerleader when they really need it.

Success doesn’t just happen overnight. There are years of experience, trial, error and networking that go into a successful and seasoned employee. The best mentors are those who are willing to share not only their success stories, but their trials, and show what they learned.

While good managers are great at this, it is important that the mentors of your company can empower their mentees to do their best work through inspiration. They give advice, make suggestions and then let the mentee make the decision.

Mentorship is vital to any professional’s career. It provides guidance to the younger and/ or newer employees, but more than that, the seasoned employees gain from mentor mentee relationships as well. An effective mentorship program is a great way to increase employee engagement and a vital part of any onboarding program.