It’s a bit shocking how few workplaces have mentoring programs when we all know how powerful it is for ourselves personally.

Look at the learning and development model that says 70% of learning is on the job, 20% is through relationships, and 10% is in training. We work pretty hard at on the job opportunities and formal training… what happened the relationship piece???

Why not formalize mentoring? You CAN do it well. This is the expertise of my lovely guest this week Laura Lunsford. She’s written a book on the topic (which is how I found her) and was super insightful.

We assume chemistry is required and that cannot be formalized. With thoughtful program development, those assumptions are wrong.

Start with a clear ‘why’. See the video below.

The mentors role is probably more about listening and asking questions. That sounds a little like coaching, but it isn’t because the mentor has a particular expertise they will also have the opportunity to share.

# If you want your program to persist, collect data to make your case later.

There are ethical considerations.

Dr. Lunsford’s Book: The Mentor’s Guide: Five Steps to Build a Successful Mentor Program.

I (Andrea) am available for HR consulting in Western Canada. Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca.

The post How to Set Up a Mentoring Program at Work appeared first on HR West Consulting - Elevating Success.

Have you had a great mentor? It was really helpful right? And if it was helpful to you, wouldn’t it be powerful for organizations?

So, finally, I have covered mentoring – and with a global leader in mentoring! It’s been on my list for quite a while and so I was delighted to talk to Dr. Laura Lunsford. She wrote the book “Handbook for Managing Mentoring Programs” and she was a pleasure to talk to! She knows it inside and out and some of what she shared includes:

We think mentoring needs to be organic, but programs DO work. Even when you artificially link two people who might not have formalized a relationship otherwise, you can have great results. The caveat: you must be clear about the purpose! See the video below.

There’s more debate around mentorship than you’d think. If you and I tried to define mentoring we would likely get different answers!

Mentoring and coaching aren’t the same thing.

Back to my first point: There is a reason young professionals want a mentor: it’s because they know how powerful it can be for their career. Take note HR: helping a career will help the organization.

Dr. Lunsford’s Book: The Mentor’s Guide: Five Steps to Build a Successful Mentor Program

Other resources:
The International Mentoring Association: www.mentoringassociation.org.
The European Mentoring & Coaching Council: www.emccglobal.org.
Brad Johnson: Athena Rising
The Center for Mentoring Excellence: www.centerformentoring.com.

I (Andrea) am available for HR consulting in Western Canada. Email me at andrea@thehrhub.ca.

The post Mentoring: An Intro For HRM appeared first on HR West Consulting - Elevating Success.