There are several potential benefits to mentoring -- for the mentor, the organization, as well as the protégé.
Benefits to the Mentor and Organization
It can increase productivity.
Protégés' skills are strengthened, enabling them to work more effectively and efficiently. Projects carried out by protégés can assist mentors with their work.It can increase organizational communication and understanding.
Mentors can communicate organizational goals and values in a direct way.It can improve strategic and succession planning.
Creating a mentoring component of the professional development process stimulates planning for specific skills required for effective management of various organizational functions.It can aid in meeting diversity goals.
People naturally gravitate toward people like themselves. A facilitated mentoring process can encourage people to deliberately support the training and development of employees with unique skills and/or of diverse backgrounds.It can maintain the motivation of senior staff.
Senior staff who have arrived at a plateau in their careers can experience new energy, new creativity, and an increased sense of self-worth through mentoring. Mentors often appreciate feeling that their skills and experience are valued.It can motivate junior staff.
Mentoring can motivate less-senior staff as they perceive potential for growth within the organization, leading to improved performance and higher retention.It can satisfy mentors' affiliation needs.
Most people who choose to work within an organization rather than alone have affiliation needs that can be filled by a mentoring relationship.The mentor's own skills are enriched.
The mentor's skills in coaching, performance planning, and feedback can be honed.It can shorten new staff's learning curve.
The focused coaching by a skilled mentor can enable protégés to grow at a faster pace than more random developmental experiences. This is particularly true in areas such as contacts/networks and organizational politics.
Benefits to Protégés
- They can gain greater knowledge of the technical and organizational aspects of the field.
- They can develop a better understanding of the organization and how it functions.
- They can more quickly learn who's who -- especially who is important and why.
- They can focus their professional development on specific, co-diagnosed needs.
- They can better identify their strengths and how they can best be utilized on the job.
- They can clarify their career path and identify appropriate next steps.
- They can experience increased morale as the importance of their personal and professional growth is validated.
- They can access an experienced advocate.
1 Adapted from MMHA
The Manager's Mentors, Inc. © 1999
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