An international organization came to us over 5 years ago in search of enhancing their current internal mentoring program. However, once we evaluated it, we noticed that their program was really just a coaching/performance based program which was really an extension of management rather than true mentoring. Not only have we seen this happen with this organization, but also with several other companies. During our many years of helping organizations, we notice that sometimes people often confuse coaching and mentoring. Though related, they are not the same because a mentor may coach, but a coach does not mentor. Also, mentoring is “relational” while coaching is “functional.” Fortunately, this organization allowed us to make changes to their program and we created a buddy program for new employees and created a mentoring program for employees who were with the company for about a year. Since this international organization is a flat organization, it was simply new graduates with one year service that participated in the mentoring program. It was designed to help them develop skills and move into positions as openings occur within the organization. This company has expanded the mentoring program throughout the organization over a 5 year period to create a mentoring culture. They have seen an 86% success rate with their program in terms of matches and participant satisfaction. Their ability to recognize the changes that needed to be implemented, along with their outstanding dedication to their employees, has landed this organization on the list of the Best Companies for Diverse Graduates 2009. And not only that, this company was also named to BusinessWeek’s Top 50 Places to Launch a Career for the third straight year!
If you would like to see how we can enhance your current program, please give us a call to schedule a complementary one-hour consultation. You may be the next company to be on one of those lists!