Effective corporate mentoring. A guide to implementing a mentoring program

Jacek Tkaczuk , Co-founder Mentiway

Mentoring in a company has many advantages. It is effective in transferring and retaining knowledge within an organization, builds relationships, and improves employee motivation. It also has many broader, less direct effects. According to research, it improves mental health, accelerates promotions and reduces turnover within the company. However, in order for it to achieve such widespread effects, it is necessary to apply proven principles when implementing it in an organization.

In this article, I present some such principles we have collected, developed from already dozens of mentoring programs implemented with Mentiway and over a thousand mentoring sessions conducted

Mentoring is a process

We have divided our recommendations into several stages:

Program design
Preparation
Implementation
Implementation
Completion

I describe each of them below. However, before we get to them, it is worth realizing the most important thing – implementing and running a mentoring program in a company is a process

A process that has many stages, that has a beginning and an end, that requires an overall goal, an owner/manager, a clear division of roles, a budget. A process that needs to be monitored and, once completed, evaluated for the implementation of subsequent mentoring programs – subsequent processes.

And ultimately, a process that is governed by its own laws and which, to be effective, must be subject to the principles described below.

Design stage

Even before starting the actual preparation work, it is worth answering the question regarding the purpose – why are we doing mentoring, what goals do we want to achieve and how will this realization be evaluated.

Why we implement mentoring

Referring to Simon Sinek – what is our WHY? Why do we even want to commit resources and implement a mentoring program in the company? It’s worth spending some time on this step, as this goal of implementing mentoring will follow us through each of the subsequent stages.

There can be more than one target, of course. Here are some examples we have encountered so far:

Break down competency silos and transfer knowledge between teams
An alternative method to those already in use for developing Mentees&nbsp competencies;
Getting to know Mentors – senior managers – the needs and mindset of younger generations
Strengthening interpersonal ties within the company
Knowledge transfer between branches of the organization
Assist in meeting Mentees&nbsp development goals;
Or even: to test this form of development and see what results it can bring

Define goals and KPIs

Knowing the overall goals, it is worth specifying each of them and defining measurable success criteria for achieving each of them. These must, of course, be such outcomes that can be measured during or after the program.

Most effects can be measured through surveys completed by Mentors and/or Mentees at the end of the program.

Defining the target group

At this stage it is also worth answering the question of what is the target group of the program. Who will be the participants – both Mentors and Mentees.

Is the program aimed at everyone? Or are we rather selecting specific groups to participate? What will be the admission criteria for participants – for example, what should be the minimum level in the organization for Mentors, if we want to give such boundary conditions at all.

Preparation stage

At this stage of the organization, the work on concrete materials already begins, i.e. the development of rules that will turn into more or less formal regulations, and the preparation of communications – both in terms of strategy and the materials themselves to strengthen these communications.

Setting the rules

In this regard, we have, among others, to establish and develop:

Program schedule with an approximate schedule and planned duration of the entire program – for example, specifying that mentoring sessions should be implemented for 6 months.
Recommended rules for the number of meetings in a pair – for example, a minimum of 6 sessions.
Participant selection criteria – I mentioned this above – do we want to somehow limit applications based on job grids or departments, or rather make the program accessible to all.
Rules for pairing participants mentoring – it’s worth planning how you want to pair participants. Do we give freedom to the Mentors and Mentees themselves in pairing up? Or do we prefer to oversee the process and suggest the pairings ourselves?

Preparation of materials

It is a good idea to write down the above rules in a form that will be made available to participants. Potential Mentors and Mentees should know already at the recruitment stage what rules will apply to them in the program.

At this stage, it is also worth supplementing these rules with:

contract template in a mentoring pair – you can read more about it in the article on the mentoring contract,
Writing down ethical principles – here you can use the document from EMCC,
plan and start working on the materials we want to make available to the program participants – for example, there may be a list of techniques to be used during the sessions, information about the roles of the Mentor/Mentee and Mentees, etc.

At this point I would like to refer to our Mentiway platform. In designing its functionalities, we placed great emphasis precisely on providing participants with the contract and materials they need for their processes. The knowledge base consists of dozens of articles, tips and techniques, including more than a dozen videos

Taking care of communication

Planning and carrying out communication are very important parts of implementing a mentoring program. One of the success criteria for us is the reach of the program – the number of participants and mentoring pairs. Adequate communication is required to reach as many potential participants as possible, get them interested and convince them to participate in the program.

It is a good idea to plan your communication so that it uses multiple different channels (e.g. Mail, intranet, meeting, open space posters, etc.) and that it is repeated in these channels. This can be a bit like marketing communications, where we first make potential customers – in this case, participants – curious, then build interest in the program, and finally facilitate a decision.

In the communication itself, it is also worth using the benefits of mentoring – here is an article on the subject and a ready-made list to use.

You can also prepare and share with potential participants in advance a list of popular questions and answers Below are some ideas and links to dedicated resources on the Mentiway blog:

You can also consider selecting ambassadors for the program and planning their participation in communications. Ambassadors -people who already have some experience in mentoring can further lend credibility to the advantages of the programs and “persuade” potential less determined participants.

Implementation stage

This stage is the actual start of the mentoring program as seen through the eyes of the participants. We start with communication and recruitment, put participants into mentoring pairs, and begin the pairing processes.

Place to collect applications

Of course, for recruitment, you also need to prepare a place to collect applications. These can be, for example, forms in Google or MS 365, or a dedicated place – such as the recruitment forms at Mentiway.

Conduct communication and recruitment

I have already described the topic of communication in terms of preparation above. Here I will reiterate once again that communication should involve multiple channels and multiple stages. It is not enough to send a one-time email to all.

We also suggest that during the communication process, monitor the number of applications and the balance between Mentors and Mentees. In this way, communication can be strengthened in this group, where the number of participants is smaller.

If time is available, it is also a good idea to individually communicate to those employees who have expressed interest in the program. For example – in Mentiway to see recruitment forms, a potential participant must register an account. The program administrator sees those users who have created accounts but have not yet filled out applications. It is good practice in such a case to contact these individuals and ask if they need additional information, and possibly address concerns and encourage them to participate in the program.

Well, and do not worry about the fact that at the beginning of recruitment there will be few applications. We know from experience that the vast majority of participants apply at the end of the available term.

Pairing participants

After recruitment, the next step is to pair up participants. As I mentioned above, there are several methods available here:

Mentees see all Mentors and interact with them, after which they jointly decide whether they want to continue working together,
Mentors see all Mentees and select them for collaboration,
Mentees see only a few proposals, selected by the algorithm, and from these they choose, establish a first meeting and jointly decide on cooperation,
Program organizers pair up participants based on their own idea,
The algorithm suggests pairs to the organizers, but still the final decision is up to them.

We provide each of these methods in the Mentiway app, with the latter being the most popular so far.

Inauguration of the program

A good practice is to officially open the program, preferably in a stationary format, with all participants. Such an event allows to conquer the motivation of participants, is an opportunity to give them the first bits of knowledge about mentoring, introduce the organizers. It’s also an opportunity for Mentors to meet Mentees in person, but also an opportunity to network in groups of Mentors and Mentees.

In programs organized with Mentiway, the most common such events include:

Official opening and introduction of the organizers,
One / two presentations on mentoring, its goals and basic principles, including covering organizational issues,
Several exercises to activate participants for networking.

Workshops and training for participants

In order for mentoring to be effective, it is necessary to make sure that all participants know what it is about, know their role and know how they are supposed to behave during the session and throughout the process. Some of this knowledge can be passed on during the inauguration.

But very often organizers also conduct dedicated training sessions for participants. They are usually in remote form and do not take more than 60 minutes (for each side of the process). Among other things, participants should learn the following:

What are the general rules – related to the organization of the process,
what is mentoring,
and what it is not,
What is the role of the Mentee and what is the role of the Mentor/Mentee,
What to do if a couple encounters one of the most common challenges.

As part of the Mentiway application, we have prepared not only a comprehensive knowledge base, but also dozens of videos that introduce novice Mentees, Mentors to the mentoring process.

First meetings in pairs

In principle, it can be assumed that the first meetings in pairs are already in the implementation stage. But I intentionally put this point still in the preparation stage. What I would like to emphasize is that during these first sessions it is worth to monitor the activity and satisfaction of the participants If there are to be any problems, mismatches in the pairs, they will come out at this stage. So it’s worth monitoring the participants’ progress a little more strongly at this time – for example, by interviewing Mentors.

Implementation stage

This is the longest phase of the entire mentoring program. It usually lasts from 6 to 9 months. Theoretically, during this time the organizers have the least work to do, but that doesn’t mean they should sit idle 😊 .

Mentoring sessions

Meetings in mentoring pairs happen without the organizers. Nevertheless, it is worth monitoring the pairs’ progress making sure that:

Couples signed mentoring contracts during the first sessions,
During the second, max 3 have already set goals for the process,
couples meet regularly – for example, that there are no couples who have not had a meeting for 40 days.

This is where dedicated tools come to the aid of organizers. In Mentiway program administrators can see in real time which couples have already signed a contract and which haven’t yet, whether they have set goals and how much time has passed since the last meeting.

Interventions with Mentors

At least once during the process, it is a good idea to hold intervisits with Mentors, i.e. a meeting where Mentors will have the opportunity to talk about their processes, challenges and share their own insights with others. It is good practice to divide Mentors into groups (or rooms, if it is a remote meeting) and assign specific topics to discuss.

Of course, conversations must bypass the confidential details of the processes.

If the organization has an accredited supervisor, it can also organize supervisions with Mentors. These are one-on-one meetings in which more specific and confidential topics are already discussed.

Celebrating half the process

As the program progresses, the initial high level of engagement may gradually decline. Interventions, direct response or dedicated workshops can improve this. But it’s also a good idea to hold a halfway house – a meeting to summarize the first half of the program and encourage further increased work

Such halftimes can be combined with interviewing or networking among Mentors and providing dedicated knowledge for participants in areas that may interest and inspire them to deepen their work.

Completion and evaluation of the program

Getting ready to end

A few weeks before the end date, it is a good idea to remind couples of the impending end of the mentoring program. Couples should be aware that their final sessions are approaching, and during these sessions they should already be aiming to complete and evaluate their goals.

At the last session, the couple should evaluate their process, give each other feedback, and assess what the Mentee has achieved during the process. The mentor should also prepare a report of the process describing how it went and suggesting next steps in the Mentee’s development.

Program evaluation

After the last session, organizers collect feedback and evaluations from participants. It is good practice to prepare a evaluation questionnaire examining, among other things:

Estimated degree of achievement of Mentees’ mentoring goals,
The degree of commitment of both people in the pair,
satisfaction rating for the entire mentoring program and a place to share comments.

Official summary

As with the inauguration of the program, and at the end, it is worthwhile to organize a meeting in the form of a stationary, where organizers will share the results and feedback from the program, and participants will meet officially for the last time, get the opportunity to establish new or continued cooperation. This is an opportunity to further build community, but also a good place to further promote the mentoring program initiative for future editions.

Hi, my name is Thomas. I am the Co-Founder of Mentiway. We are happy to share our knowledge and support organisations on their way to success! 💪 If you are interested in how to efficiently and effectively implement a mentoring programme in your organisation using technology:
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