MEMORANDUM
TO: Donald Lower, Partner; Barry Anderson, Partner; John Huber, Partner; Todd Whitlow, Partner
FROM: Brooke Vondal, Administrative Officer
DATE:
September 18, 2016
SUBJECT: Proposal to Implement a Formal Mentoring Program
Attached is the proposal to implement a mentoring program at Anderson, Lower, Whitlow P.C. In early summer, ALW hired fifteen recently graduated individuals and 12 have already taken positions at other firms. There needs to be a system in place to develop and foster relationships for these individuals within the firm. This firm has a high turnover rate of new hires; currently, the turnover rate is 85%. Firms that are considered the Big Four are offering mentoring programs that make their employees invested in the company’s future. Unfortunately, if ALW does not start to compete with this issue, more employees will be lost to the Big Four Firms.
Implementing a strong mentoring program that fosters individual and personal growth within the company is vital for the future of this firm. This includes setting up and maintaining a mentoring program. The mentoring program will be set up with individuals from all levels of achievement, that are willing to devote a portion of their time to the firm’s prosperity.
Investing in the future of this firm, through a formal mentoring program is a vital step. I look forward to working with you throughout this process. I can be reached at bvondal@alwpc.com or 456-789-0123 ext.123.
Thank you for your time.
Dr. Lois Zachary provides a well-organized, hands-on approach to research-based mentoring in The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships (2012). This book serves as an excellent introduction for an individual new to the mentoring role; it is also a resource for current mentors. Zachary (2012) provides solid examples, concrete exercises, and a roadmap for building an effective mentoring relationship. Mentors in the business world, nonprofit organizations, and educational settings would benefit from reading this book.
The mentoring program for new grads at this facility has been very successful. The facility has found that the mentoring program builds confidence in the new grads and respect for the mentor. It makes the new grads believe they are wanted and helps them adapt to the
Mentors are influential, senior organizational members with advanced experience and knowledge committed to providing perception to a mentee’s career development. A mentor supports a mentee’s views of self within a work role as well as it supports the mentor’s sense of self for the valuable wisdom and experience they have to share.
7. Establish mentoring programs to assist fellow employees in their continuing corporate development [ (Gomez-Mejla, Balkin, & Cardy, 2010) ]. Finding, retaining, and maximizing the potential of our employees is just good business. Mentoring will help ensure each employee is able to maximize his/her personal and corporate potential. We should consider adding mentoring to our annual performance objectives.
Setting clear attainable guidelines as to when and where mentoring sessions will take place and the duration of the mentoring process.
Over the course of the past few weeks, this course has enabled me to put to practice some of the basics of mentoring in a practical setting. In this case paper, I will document the final coaching session between my co-worker and myself. As always, before getting started I worked on a pre-coaching plan in order to lay the foundation for our meeting and help myself prepare for when I meet with my mentee. Next, I will discuss the facts of the coaching session and how well we were able to accomplish the goals of the meeting. Then the different successes and challenges will be mentioned as well as the lessons I learned from each. Finally, I will reflect on the areas of myself or my coaching style that need improvement and how I plan to implement those changes. First let’s take a look at what went in to developing the pre-coaching plan for this meeting.
Mentors serve as a confidant, counselor, guide and advisor to a participant. They share an understanding of the organization, its mission, and the formal and informal operating processes, and share experiences which contributed to their own success, setting an example for the participant to follow. They assist the participant in career development ideas or for pursuing career opportunities. Mentors encourage participants to become more efficient and productive in their career field through self-development and other activities, and suggest appropriate training and developmental opportunities to further the progress of the participant toward leadership positions. The Mentor will provide input to the participant 's supervisor in developing their Individual Development Plan (IDP), helping the participant to set clear, realistic career goals and periodically reviews progress, making constructive suggestions on career development. Vitally important, the Mentor must ensure the mentoring relationship remains visibly and consistently professional. Mentors must ensure that their meetings are for clear purposes related to mentoring, that there is visible progress by the participant toward legitimate mentoring goals, and that office relationships between the mentor and participant
Formal mentoring programs are ubiquitous on college campuses and yet there is a lack of high quality training for mentoring participants online. The Entering Mentoring training is a notable exception (more here). However, this training is in person. More here about lack of inclusive mentoring / cultural intelligence.
Mentoring takes many forms and has many purposes, however, no uniform definition of mentoring exists (Bochke, 2001). Caffarella (1993) defined mentoring as “intense caring relationships in which person(s) with more experience work with less experienced person(s) to promote both professional
“A mentoring program is essential to a successful business and to succeed your business for the next generation.”
Elmore begins this adventure into mentoring providing us two definitions. The first, later attributed to Dawson Trotman of The Navigators, is strategically investing in the lives of a few people now who will be able to benefit greater numbers in the future (Elmore, 2012, Kindle Locations 137, 349). The second definition he shares gives the process a personal feel, “a relational experience through which one person empowers another by sharing their wisdom and resources” (Elmore, 2012, Kindle Location 144). The succinctness and complexity of these definitions encapsulate the framework to which Elmore returns throughout. The key elements revealed here are relationship, investment, process, focus, empowerment, and multiplication. These elements
The research offers vital characteristics to sub-question I: What it takes to create a successful school-base mentor program? First, it must take into consideration the need for a leadership, encouraged program. A school-based mentoring program must have a logical model theory that states, and encourages positive actions and outcomes. A clear mission, with goals, and an exit plan is needed. Internal and external factors will influence the program’s effectiveness and they need to be taken into consideration when building a model program. The end goal for a school-based mentoring program is to achieve meaningful and measurable results.
Mentorship is very important in the workplace especially in the area of training and development. The mentor-protégé relationship is a much needed relationship that begins in the early career stage and this relationship involves the current or new employees and the supervisor or other colleagues that provide work-related guidance. The relationship itself is comprehensive and involves “educational, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual development” (Greenhaus,, Callanan, & Godshalk, 2010, p 211). One of the initial task of the early career the establishment of the career field which involves the gaining of the workplace competence, learn what is needed to excel in the organization, and to gain acceptance in the workplace to be recognized as the valued employee. There are many ways of achieving the above mentioned advantages in the workplace which one main method is through the use of the mentorship program.
This essay will start by defining mentoring, and giving a brief understanding of mentoring. This essay will then go on to identify and evaluate a number of key factors that may influence the effectiveness of a mentoring relationship. This essay will focus on the example of mentoring within schools and a learning mentor to be more specific.
Accompanied with the current shift towards more organic organisation structures and more emphasis on the learning organisation, mentoring provides a more all round experience to the mentees by getting them confident with their role with the organisation. It also improves communication throughout the organisation by allowing mentees to give feedback and learn in a not so formal fashion which helps people feel more relaxed and develops the formal and informal culture of the organisation.