Most of us can probably name someone who helped us when we were starting out. That mentor relationship has a huge impact on how we develop in the business world and the paths we choose along the way.
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But all too often, companies miss great opportunities to foster an environment that encourages these relationships, choosing instead to focus on training, says Kevin Boyle, president of Industrial Distribution Consulting.\”Mentoring is more of a long-term process,\” he says, whereas training is a one-time session that gives you exposure to something new.
And training can’t help people learn the company culture and philosophy, he says.
Encouraging mentor relationships doesn’t require a large financial investment either. \”What companies need to do is set up an environment where people start doing things,\” Boyle says. Companies can set up cross-functional teams that encourage employees to learn from each other across the various jobs within the company. They can create advisory council environments that provide opportunities for natural mentors to be identified.
\”There’s a misnomer that it does require some large monetary expenditure, and it doesn’t,\” Boyle says. \”It’s encouraging interaction with people.\”
Most organizations probably already have natural mentors; it’s up to the companies to encourage that interaction to emerge.
Kevin Boyle spoke about mentoring in the November Executive Briefing. Click on the video below to hear an excerpt from the episode. Click here to listen to the entire program.
