Focus areas for your next mentoring program
Every business is unique and therefore business mentoring programs are not a one-size fits all.
Mentoring can be used for any scenario where there needs to be some knowledge and experience sharing between two people.
Below is a list of common mentoring programs to help you think what your new program should focus on.
New managers mentoring program
Newly appointed managers are prime candidates for mentoring. Matching new managers with experienced leaders is a simple and effective way to accelerate their experience and confidence. It helps avoid the sink or swim approach which is far too common within organisations.]
Top talent mentoring program
Pairing your identified top talent with a senior leader in your company ensures they grow as expected and feel invested in the company. Mentoring is a valuable part of any company’s talent management program and provides means to develop and retain those talented people with your organisation.
Leadership development mentoring program
This is a general program where you are focusing on leadership development. Normally your current leaders will be your mentors and your future leaders will be your mentees. This is probably the most common mentoring program that companies set up first.
Diversity mentoring program
A variety of studies show that having diversity as a valued part of your company’s purpose improves both innovation, and decision making skills, which ultimately improves the success of the company. A diversity mentoring program focuses on those under represented groups within your organisation to help accelerate these people to become important decision makers for your organisation.
Reverse mentoring program
Reverse mentoring helps your team unlock the knowledge of new technology and trends. In this program your leaders become the mentees and your less senior people become the mentors with the aim of sharing knowledge that your leaders are not fully aware of. This is a great way to help your leaders understand current trends, technology and how the other generations think, behave and motivated.
External mentoring program
An external mentoring program pairs your leaders, with leaders from other companies. Understanding how other companies address their common problems, aids your team with new ideas, and how to solve problems within your company. If this interest you and your business is based in WA then you should check out our Western Australian Cross-Industry Mentoring Program (WACIMP)
Onboarding program
Pairing new employees with people who have been in the company for years is a great way to streamline their onboarding process, boost confidence, and make them feel part of the team. Mentoring is a simple means to allow this to happen.
Are you looking to have a business mentoring program?
Please check out our dedicated page to developing a business mentoring program
Want to know more about the costs, then check out our article "how much does a mentoring program cost".
