Return to site

Creating a Mentorship Program

· Alvin Hope Johnson,Mentor,Mentorship,Mentee,Career

Developing a mentorship program may appear complicated, but it’s a great step for your company. The following steps will help you create a program that’s effective and successful for all parties involved!

Select the Right Mentors

In order for a mentorship program to work, you need to have employees who are willing to be mentors. You especially want company leaders with significant insights and experience to sign up to mentor someone. Mentors don’t have to only include leaders, however. Other good options include employees who may not have a leadership role, but are strong and experienced in your company.

Remember that mentorship should benefit both the mentor and the mentee, so mentors should still be willing to learn from new employees, and not be so stuck in their ways that they don’t want to listen to new insight. Instead, look for potential mentors who are excited by the idea of sharing company practices, but also open to hearing ideas from others.

Set Expectations

A key part of a mentorship program is managing the expectations of mentors and mentees alike. Stress to both parties that the goal of the program is professional development. By becoming a mentor, someone isn’t automatically put on the fast track for a promotion. Make sure that mentees understand that their mentor also has a busy professional life, and won’t be available at all hours to answer every question.

Make sure that you set standards for how often the mentors and mentees meet, whether it be once a week or a month. You should also set an end date for the program, and not have it stretch on indefinitely.

Create Goals

The next step is to create goals for your program. These goals should tie into your larger organization’s goals. However, you should also allow some flexibility for the individuals to set personal goals that have to do with their own interests and career paths. Remember that your goals may change each time you begin the mentorship program, and that you’ll continually change and improve the program.

Decide Other Activities

Now you should outline any other activities besides meetings that mentors and mentees will perform together. For example, this could include lunches to discuss certain topics, or the mentee could attend a training session with their mentor. You can also decide whether or not you want mentees to attend company meetings, or assist with special projects that may be beneficial to their career.

A mentorship program will be a great asset to your company. Creating one will benefit the mentors, their mentees, and the organization as a whole.

This article was originally published on AlvinHopeJohnson.com.