Leadership mentoring – how does it support the development of new leaders?

Leadership mentoring, also called leadership mentoring, is one of the most effective methods of developing managers who are stepping into new leadership roles or facing the challenge of building their own teams. Unlike theoretical training, mentoring gives access to the practical knowledge of experienced leaders and allows them to find their way more quickly into the realities of a given organization.

What does leadership mentoring consist of?

Leadership mentoring is based on a partnership between an experienced manager (mentor) and the person developing his leadership competencies (mentee). We wrote about these competencies in an earlier text: https://mentiway.com/en/competencies-for-leaders-and-women-leaders-of-the-future-take-the-right-direction/
In practice, leadership mentoring consists of:

• Support in improving team management skills,
• Sharingcultural knowledge and policies within the organization,
• Tips on first steps as a leader,
• develop soft skills, such as communication, motivation and conflict resolution.

Why is leadership mentoring important in business development?

The dynamic growth of an organization often involves the rapid promotion of new managers – especially those who previously held specialized roles. Leadership mentoring programs help such individuals step into their new role without unnecessary stumbles and increase the chances of success for the entire team.

Leadership mentoring is also an important component of succession programs, in which key employees are prepared to take over positions of responsibility in the future.

Importantly, leadership mentoring is also increasingly appearing in responsible business programs and CSR initiatives – as a way to share knowledge, support the development of junior managers and build a collaborative culture.

Leadership mentoring: benefits for the mentee

Through leadership mentoring, individuals stepping into leadership roles can:

• gain practical knowledge from people who have walked this path,
• find their way more quickly into the culture and structure of the organization,
• avoid common mistakes of novice managers,
• develop competencies not only managerial, but also interpersonal.

Benefits of leadership mentoring for mentors

Leadership mentoring is a two-way process – mentors also develop in this role. What are the key benefits for them?

• An opportunity to look at challenges through the eyes of a new generation of leaders,
• inspiration to seek new solutions and a fresh perspective on one’s own activities,
• Strengthen the ability to consciously develop subordinates,
• learn and practice mentoring techniques that you can later use with your own team.

Mentiway and leadership mentoring as a complement to training

Training provides knowledge, but only mentoring allows you to put it into practice. It is the combination of both methods that produces the best results in preparing new leaders. This is why more and more organizations are choosing to include leadership mentoring in their talent development programs.

Many organizations use Mentiway to conduct leadership mentoring programs, as it is one of the most popular forms of development on our platform. Leaders serving as mentors here have access to dozens of mentoring and coaching tools, grouped by application. This allows them to test different approaches, develop their workshop and transfer proven methods to their daily work with the team. Mentiway thus supports not only the mentoring process, but also the practical development of leadership competencies in the organization. We previously wrote about the qualities of a good mentor here: https://mentiway.com/en/traits-of-a-good-mentor-what-should-an-effective-mentor-be-like/

FAQ and summary: leadership mentoring

1. How is leadership mentoring different from leadership training?
Training provides theoretical knowledge, while leadership mentoring is practical support from an experienced leader who shares real-world examples and helps with the daily challenges of managing a team.

2. Who is leadership mentoring for?
First and foremost, for people who are starting a leadership role, being promoted to a managerial position or preparing to take on more responsibility in the organization.

3. What are the benefits of a mentor in a leadership program?
A mentor gains fresh insights from younger leaders, is inspired by their approaches and develops his or her own skills – especially in the areas of supporting employee development and conscious leadership.

4. How does Mentiway support leadership mentoring?
On the Mentiway platform, you can easily organize leadership programs, match mentor-mentee pairs, and use dozens of mentoring and coaching tools that support the development of leadership competencies.

Leadership mentoring is a tool that supports both mentee and mentor development. It enables organizations to develop new leaders faster, minimizing the risk of mistakes and strengthening a culture of informed leadership.

At Mentiway we help companies implement mentoring programs – including in the area of leadership development. If you want to learn how to support your leaders through mentoring, contact us!