It used to be that mentoring had to mean a more experienced person helps a less experienced person develop in a specific capacity.
It still can mean that. Now, however, companies are taking mentorship much further by formalizing the process and even using a “bottoms-up” approach where younger, tech savvy employees can share what they know with older employees.
Pat Lynch, a long-time agronomist working for Cargill in Shakespeare, ON has been involved in mentoring for more than 25 years. He also developed the Agronomy Assistant training program where students are taught a range of skills including agronomy, time management, safety and etiquette, both on the farm and in a business setting. Students completing the program and a project qualify for a University of Guelph course credit.
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Jason Casselman, now a managing agronomist with Cargill in Fairview, AB worked under Lynch for his first job after university. Mentoring works, says Casselman, who adds he feels he learned more from Lynch than he did his whole time studying at McGill University’s MacDonald College.
Steve Larson, talent development manager in the human resources department of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. in Johnston, Iowa, says their research division has had a mentoring program for about five years now. He describes it as an informal formal program. “We have the people, resources and a process that we ask mentors and mentees to follow, but each partnership uses their own judgement on how to use and follow the program.”
At Pioneer, employees wanting to learn from a mentor check out an on-line database of willing mentors and select one they would like to work with. “If someone has a skill, experience or perspective of interest, the mentee makes a request to meet and discuss the need,” Larson explains. Usually mentormentee relationships last about six months and involve a combination of face-to-face meetings, phone calls and sometimes e-mail.
Although Monsanto has had an ad hoc mentoring program in place for several years to help employees develop the skills they need, Cathy Pickard, Monsanto’s human resources lead for Canada, says the company is formalizing its mentoring program to accelerate the development of future leaders.
As part of their succession planning, Monsanto has identified key positions and it has also identified employees with high leadership potential who will eventually replace the people in those positions. Monsanto’s mentoring program operates on a global scale, Pickard explains. Mentors are selected from regional country leaders who have a coaching and leadership track record with a willingness to mentor.
At Monsanto, mentor and mentee agree on the goals for the mentorship program, which is normally about a year long, says Pickard. Mentor and mentee get together periodically to review the mentee’s goals. At the end of the year they evaluate whether those goals were met, whether they should continue the mentoring relationship or if the mentee needs to find a different mentor for the next stage of their development. A steering team oversees the whole program.
By Encouraging Mentoring Relationships,
either formally or informally, companies today are taking advantage of an age-old principal that benefits everyone.
What makes a good mentor?
Ongoing, two-way communication is key to good mentoring, says Casselman, pointing to the fact that Lynch emphasized being down-to-earth, approachable and always interested in helping. Now Casselman passes those same traits on when he mentors assistant agronomists and sales reps in Alberta.
Mentors should also go into the process thinking that they’re going to get something out of it as well. It isn’t just the mentee who benefits. Larson says. Mentors and mentees in the Pioneer program report the time spent has been mutually beneficial. “There are benefits to getting people together and sharing,” says Larson. “They share new technologies, expand their networks and see new ways of looking at things.”
Anecdotal feedback from program participants has shown the value of Pioneer’s mentoring program, says Larson, but starting next year he plans to get more quantitative data by surveying those involved to get more detailed feedback. For example, they will track how many finished the program, how many achieved their goals and how many would do it again.
Leslie Stanier, human resources manager at Cargill says that while the mentee develops specific capabilities such as communication or leadership skills, the mentor has the gratification of knowing they’ve passed on some of their knowledge and helped someone else. Considering that most mentors are volunteers, it’s a good thing there’s some pay back for them, too, although some companies report using external business coaches or bringing back retired employees specifically as mentors.
Lynch says he also learned from the people he mentored. “If the person you are mentoring has a different view or opinion, be open to that and discuss it,” he recommends. “They will end up being your mentor in some areas.”
