Creating and Cultivating a Mentoring Culture

Want a great buzzword for the decade?  Try “knowledge transfer.”  That’s what we’re supposed to be doing with all of the stuff the Baby Boomers learned and have catalogued in the back of their heads.  We’re supposed to transfer this valuable information to younger staff members before the Boomers retire, which by the way, is starting to happen.  But here’s the catch . . . how do you do it?  My answer: create a mentoring culture within your company.

Wow, I actually impressed myself with that last tidbit, creating a culture of mentoring.  That sounds like something a consultant would say.  So exactly what steps do you need to take to create this culture?  Here are some guidelines and suggestions for you to follow.

Formal vs. informal
The first step is to decide if you want to create a formal mentoring program or simply encourage and cultivate an informal one.  Neither model is inherently better than the other.  It’s simply a matter of determining which one fits your company or department in the best fashion.  Perhaps you utilize a highly technical and complex series of systems, checks and balances, and safeguards, all of which require a certain degree of accuracy and attention.  Then a formal mentoring program might be preferable.  On the other hand, maybe devoting time to a formal program doesn’t make sense given your resource constraints.

Whatever the case, the onus for cultivating a mentoring atmosphere starts at the top.  If management encourages mentoring formally or informally, it will happen, and not just because you want it to.  People have an intrinsic need to seek out the advice and knowledge of others, and many people are more than happy to impart wisdom to those who seek it.  As a result, mentoring is a win-win situation for everybody—employers and employees.

Whichever form of mentoring you choose to implement, its success rests largely on one thing—your knowledge of the people who work for you.  This is because the success of any mentoring program hinges upon the people involved, those who are mentoring and those who are being mentored.  Some people work better and more easily together than others.  Your knowledge of your current employees, in addition to what you’ve learned about your new hires during the interview process, will prove crucial to pairing people together who will provide the most benefit for one another.  (Remember, there are benefits for those who are doing the mentoring, as well, including a feeling that they have been chosen because of their knowledge and achievements.  This goes a long way toward breeding loyalty in that employee.)

The major difference between formal and informal mentoring is documentation.  There are pros and cons to this.  On the one hand, documented processes and procedures take time and money to first construct and then implement.  On the other, these processes have a built-in efficiency and productivity component that acts as an accountability device.  You’ll know when people meet in their mentoring relationships and be able to document and track what kind of progress they’re making.

Another hazard with formal mentoring programs involves their structure.  Many times, relationships flourish more when the people involved don’t feel as though they’re being put under a microscope.  Remember, it’s your knowledge of your people and company’s culture that will help you to decide which type of program will work the best.