Employee Mentoring ProgramsI feel very strongly about every organization establishing solid employee mentoring programs to ensure your survival. Currently I am a formal mentor of an individual that is a participant of a year long leadership program. I have been a part of this program for several years and I can't tell you the enjoyment I get from my participation. I still get and welcome previous participants calling me. When you are establishing Employee Mentoring Programs remember that mentoring is something that we do on an ongoing basis often times without even knowing it, such as our children or co-workers. Mentoring is not taking what you know and forcing it upon another via some long winded lecture. It is however, guiding someone in the right direction using your knowledge in life, or a specific subject matter. You don't have necessarily be an expert on the subject either. I find the best way to accomplish this is through open ended questions that helps the person see the issue differently. Some times the questions you ask help you see the issue differently also. For instance if someone defines a problem that has a number of issues you might help them peel back the layers and pin point the root cause, or the most important issue to begin with. You can also help them see their reality. Sometimes that is the biggest issue of all when someone first tries to take on a project. A simplified version might be if they were trying to build a house and all they have are nails but no hammer. The present reality is that you need some more tools to build the house successfully. Another example might be if your goal is to travel across the country in an automobile. Before you begin you will need to assess the operational capacity of your vehicle, how much money you have versus how much it will cost, etc. That is your present reality versus what do you need to get there. This can all be done through a series of good open ended questions. Do this versus giving them what you think they should do. Kind of like you can give a man a fish and they will eat for the day, or you can teach them to fish and they will eat for the rest of their life. That is a mentor. There are a lot of different mentoring books available but I especially like Monday Morning Leadership" by David Cottrell. It is a very quick book to read and should give you great insight into how to become a good, if not great, mentor. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. It is inexpensive and offered by Amazon. I believe you can even get a used copy at a reduced price.
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