Baby Boomers used to be the largest generation in the workplace. No longer, they are retiring every day and walking away with a great deal of knowledge and in-depth experience. That knowledge needs to be shared before the experienced Baby Boomer leaves.
Creating a mentoring program is a great way for organizations to manage succession planning. An effective mentoring program consists of mentors who know how to coach and develop others and mentees who are open minded and willing to step up and embrace learning.
Yesterday, I worked with seven senior executives who will be involved in a formal mentoring program next month. We talked about the mentor mindset which includes making people development a top priority, lifting mentees up, and sharing opportunities with mentees.
We also discussed the coaching sessions, the importance of establishing goals, holding mentees accountable, and removing obstacles that could get in the way. Mentoring could be about helping a person obtain a new position within an organization or just about learning new skills and new topics.
Years ago, I worked in Human Resources at Meldisco. The CFO took the time to teach me gross profit analysis and other financial concepts that I was not familiar with. His mentorship was so valuable to me and I'll never forget the time he spent with me.
If you are interested in setting up a formal mentoring program, give me a call.
