Tenure seems to be getting shorter and shorter as workers look for higher salaries and quicker promotions up the corporate ladder. So, this should lead you to think proactively – who will replace your ‘rock star’ leadership team member when they inevitably leave? Mentoring is a good tool to assist with succession planning but also to help reduce turnover and help promote internal promotions.
Mentoring is a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person develop in a specified capacity. It involves the transfer of knowledge, exposure to advanced concepts and strategic thinking as well as guidance on personal and professional issues. While not exactly on-the-job training, it is very effective in providing real world experience.
Mentoring can be informal or formal. Obviously, a formal program that is public and involves structured objectives, time frames and formal evaluations is preferred. This allows for effective tracking and assessment of progress. By being public, it makes it clear to all employees what it takes to be a leader and, if done right, doesn’t give the appearance of favoritism. Informal mentoring relations just evolve naturally, aren’t structured and have no real way to measure effectiveness.
Mentoring is not ideal for every employee. Every employee is not a ‘rock star’ and every employee cannot be a manager or a leader. While an employee may be a good employee, the skills and abilities required of leadership are different. Not everyone can make the transition effectively or acquire the required skills successfully.
The bottom line is that development requires more than tenure in a role and attendance in training classes, seminars and conferences. Mentoring can greatly assist in getting your employee that has the potential to be a leader to the next level with the proper preparation to be successful.
Tags: development, employee, hiring, human resources, mentor, mentoring, morale, promotion, satisfaction survey, small business, staffing, succession planning, training, turnover
