Mentoring: for whom, why, and how?

What is mentoring?

A big question! From my perspective, first and foremost, mentoring is used to create meaningful connections between individuals in our workplaces. If we focus specifically on the relationship, I would describe it as a relationship of growth, learning, and career development. Typically, in a professional context, we tend to pair an experienced person, the mentor, with another person who wishes to develop and learn, the mentee. This relationship benefits the mentee, as they have specific goals to achieve.

What is the central element that characterizes mentoring?

What characterizes mentoring is the trust at the heart of this relationship. Additionally, confidentiality plays a major role because this relationship must become a "safe space" for open and candid discussions about challenges, obstacles, and aspirations. How to maintain confidentiality? Avoiding pairing individuals who are in the same team or who have a hierarchical link are two elements to keep in mind.

What does mentoring develop?

In recent years, mentoring programs have focused on developing themes such as leadership, personal development, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), the integration of new employees, and the development of female potential. The idea is to pair our new managers, for example, with seasoned leaders to work on their professional posture and gain perspective on taking on such a role. Other trends have emerged in Quebec, such as EDI, where significant "human" connections are formed between employees. Integrating a mentoring component into companies can therefore play an important role in their annual strategy.

Mentoring or coaching?

This is a question I receive almost every day: what is the difference between coaching and mentoring? In mentoring, we primarily focus on "soft skills" and "becoming." It is a pairing that will last over the medium to long term, and the needs will be determined by the mentee. In short, it all starts essentially from the mentee's needs. Mentoring is often a voluntary involvement.

In coaching, the needs are different. Fees are often attached to the service, and the expectations for results are different. Additionally, the employer or supervisor is often involved in the desired outcomes. The duration of a coaching period is usually much shorter than that of mentoring.

The benefits of implementing mentoring.

It is more complex to "calculate," although a company should plan assessment modalities. However, there is data on the outcomes of mentoring. A survey by Harvard Business Review indicates that 84% of mentees integrate more quickly into a new role when they have a mentor. Moreover, 91% of workers with a mentor report being more satisfied with their jobs. Finally, 71% of companies that have integrated a mentoring program have seen an increase in employee retention rates. We can conclude that the benefits are significant for both employees and their companies. In a context of retirements, for example, this approach is advantageous for everyone to limit or avoid loss of knowledge.

Can a mentor-mentee situation require breaking confidentiality?

Yes, we see these situations in professions that are, for example, regulated by a professional order. If a potential mistake by a mentee could harm a patient, that is when the obligation of confidentiality might be breached. Otherwise, ideally, a mentor-mentee relationship should remain confidential to promote personal and professional development for everyone involved.

And well-being in all of this?

Several studies have been conducted on this topic: people stay longer in a company when they have interpersonal connections with "friends" within the organization. Mentoring helps facilitate these less formal connections in a work context. Knowing that someone cares about your development and experience is invaluable. It combines "personal development" with "work relationships."

How should the matching be structured?

The foundation is to work according to the objectives we want to achieve with our mentoring initiative. If we want to develop the integration of new employees, we won't think about pairing them the same way if we want to develop new managers. The next question should be, "What are the needs or development goals of the mentee?" We then need to think about the "mix" of personalities, where the mentor and the mentee should have points of affinity. That said, let's not forget that we learn a lot from our differences and the variety of backgrounds. By drawing inspiration from people different from ourselves, we inevitably grow. Mentors are there to help us take a step back and see a situation from another perspective.

In conclusion:

Mentoring is a solution on many levels: retaining expertise in the company, transferring skills from a seasoned employee to a newcomer, increasing productivity, or simply being a major element of well-being within the organization. Although it is difficult to measure impacts in a concrete or quantified manner, studies demonstrate the fundamental role of the mentor-mentee relationship for the personal and professional development of an individual. And you, how can you implement such an initiative in the context of your business development?

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