Mentoring and Succession Planning in the Workplace

Linda is aspiring to attain her career goal as a Business Manager. To progress her career, she will need to focus her efforts and improve her work performance. She knows that the career journey will bring challenges and issues to confront. Linda is committed to the industry and her chosen career, and is keen to progress quickly.

Craig is planning his retirement next year. To ensure a seamless transition for his retirement and for the organisation succession, he will support Linda to pass on his valuable knowledge and insight. He is supported by the organisation to retain the organisational wisdom, engage and develop Linda’s talent and career.

Research by National Seniors on the ‘baby boomer’ generation, states that almost 5.6 million Australians born between 1946 and 1965, are now aged in their 50s and 60s – over 800 baby boomers are turning 50 each day. As they grow older, they are leaving the paid workforce to take up their next stage of life – retirement.

As experienced workers leave their jobs and take their valuable knowledge and skills that have been built up over extensive employment, a gap will occur in the workforce. This has a profound bearing on the workforce, with fewer working people with the necessary skills, and the continuity of organisational wisdom and competence being threatened.

As organisations address workforce challenges such as: enabling succession plans, increasing employee retention, career and leadership development, organisational mentoring and development programs enable senior staff to transfer their knowledge and skills to less experienced employees. Vital knowledge and organisational wisdom are retained and distributed to staff at all levels of the organisation.

Organisations are realising the benefits of aligning individual career goals with organisational goals to create a more productive organisation that continuously transforms itself to the needs of its staff and external events and challenges.

For individuals, mentoring offers support, knowledge and guidance during their career journey to enable them to develop their professional practice, and attain their career goals. The learning curve to learn the knowledge and practice is shortened.

Modern organisational mentorship programs take place in the environment of a learning organisation. With the transfer of business knowledge and skills, there is a spread of best practices throughout the organisation. Employees engage with each other and a pipeline of future leaders who understand the skills and attitudes required to succeed within the company are developed.

An organisational mentoring culture is a valuable human resource tool for workforce planning and development, for spreading knowledge and best practices throughout the organisation. The benefits of a mentoring culture can be seen with a Plus, Minus, and Equal model.

PLUS – Mentoring develops individuals by those who have already ‘been there and done that.’ A mentor offers their knowledge and experience, and offers advice to guide and support the individual during their professional career journey. As individuals develop, knowledge, skills and valuable organisational and industry wisdom are retained, rather than lost, as experienced staff leave.
EQUAL – As peers share their experiences and challenges, there is recognition that staff at all levels of the organisation have valuable knowledge and experience to share with others. The qualities of a learning organisation facilitates the engagement and learning of its staff. The accumulation of learning builds higher levels of business performance that enables the organisation to continuously transforms itself.
MINUS – We can gain fresh perspectives from younger individuals. Reverse mentoring occurs when a more experienced employee partners with a younger, less experienced individual. It distinguishes from traditional mentoring because the new employee becomes the mentor who provides senior members of the organisation with up-to-date information on the latest business technologies, technical skills and workplace trends. This makes sense as the so-called digital natives, the dot-com kids are the most technologically literate generation of children.

Increasingly, organisations are creating formal mentoring programs to ensure that it has the right people, with the right skills, at the right time – now and in the future.

Encouraging an organisational mentoring and development program will engage and inspire individuals at all levels of an organisation to attain higher level thinking and performance for their career development, and will recognise the Mentor’s expertise and leadership skills.

Linda and Craig are committed to their mentoring relationship. They have collaboratively established clear and realistic goals. They have developed an action plan to focus their efforts in a consistent direction. They are motivated and excited to their commitment to progress and develop. Craig is looking forward to the opportunity to ‘give back’ to his organisation to ensure that his organisational wisdom is retained, so that he can retire with an organisational succession plan in place.

Further information on the Mentoring and Development program can be obtained from the website or contact Career Coaching and Training here.

About Leah Shmerling

Leah Shmerling is the Director and Principal Consultant of Career Coaching and Training, and has extensive experience in career development, life coaching, education and training.

Leah is the author of two books in careers and business communication, a former freelance writer for The Age and Herald Sun, and publisher of two accredited online short courses, Mentoring and Development and Foundations in Career Development Practice.

Leah is a professional member of the Career Development Association Australia (CDAA), a Certified Retirement Coach and is Board Certified as a Career Management Fellow with the Institute of Career Certification.

Leah Shmerling can be contacted here

Mentoring in the Workplace – Benefits for Career Development

Fiona is completing her university studies and is seeking a career as a social worker. She needs encouragement to enter the industry, with a reality check of what she can expect once she is working. She recognises the challenges and the professional responsibilities ahead. With the support of a mentor, a trusted counsellor or guide, who will share their knowledge, expertise and experience, it will enable Fiona to develop her abilities, and grow in the job role.

Who is a mentor?

A mentor is an experienced role model and trusted advisor who offers their knowledge and experience, and provides advice to guide and support the mentee during their professional career journey. The goal of mentoring is to assist the mentee to improve themselves through skill and professional development to advance their career. Effective mentoring focuses on the needs of the mentee.

A mentor can be from the same industry, an employee from the organisation, or an industry network group. Importantly, the mentor will require personal attributes that facilitate the relationship, and be well matched to the mentee’s needs and personality type.

How can mentors benefit career development?

The mentoring relationship is built on mutual trust, respect and communication to empower the mentee to progress within their role, and set goals for professional development.

The mentoring journey commences by establishing goals – both long and short-term goals that the mentee sets for him or herself. The long-term goal is the larger goal such as: attaining a job and successfully transitioning into the organisation, or obtaining a promotion. Short-term goals are a series of milestones that form a step-by-step approach to attain the long-term goal. For example, to attain the stated long-term goals, it may entail writing and developing a resume or LinkedIn profile, or assisting with interview skills.

The mentoring process provides support for the mentee’s development that includes:

examining professional issues that impact on the mentee
obtaining exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking
advising on developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses
guiding professional development and career advancement
developing new skills and knowledge
obtaining recognition within the organisation

Although Fiona has completed her tertiary qualification, she acknowledges that she needs to adjust to the world of work, the workplace culture, and develop positive relationships with colleagues. She needs to action the theories learnt during her course into workplace practices. As her course did not address these issues, mentoring provides the opportunity to assist her transition.

The mentoring relationship is not a modern fad. Historically, individuals learnt through older members who passed their knowledge and insight whilst in the workplace. Patiently, the mentor provided the time and energy to serve as the teacher and overseer of the mentee. Mentoring is a fundamental process of human development. The benefits of mentoring are recognised for all parties: the mentee, the mentor, and the organisation.

Crown Coaching and Training have developed an online Mentoring and Development course to support professional practice and high-level performance. The course consists of a core program, and two optional modules to address specific situations.

How can mentoring make a difference?

A mentee may be an inexperienced individual who is seeking to enter the industry, or experienced seeking support to attain a promotion, or to identify their next step. A mentor provides valuable advice and encourages new perspectives, addresses workplace challenges to assist mentees to attain career goals, improve their professional practice with new knowledge and skills, and respond to industry challenges. The mentoring process identifies emerging talent, and encourages continuous improvement through the ongoing relationship with the mentor.

What are the benefits to each party: the mentee, mentor and organisation?

There are many benefits that mentoring brings to all parties: the mentee, the mentor and the organisation.

Benefits to the mentee

Gain insight and valuable advice to get ahead – The mentor is a sounding board who ‘has been there and done that.’ They guide you to overcome challenges, and move forward in your career.
Attain new perspectives – Through communication about issues and questions, you learn new ways of thinking to broaden your thinking and practice.
Develop knowledge and skills – during the mentoring process to progress your career. Where a skills gap exists, a mentee may be advised about studying a recommended training program.
Improve communication skills – Develop and tailor communication to address a range of audiences.
Build your network – A mentor can assist you to expand your network of professional contacts.
Advance your career – A mentor will support you to attain professional goals and overcome obstacles to advance your career.

Benefits to the mentor

Becoming a mentor offers the opportunity to develop professional qualities. These include:

Gain professional recognition, build leadership skills and self-worth. Your professional standing is validated as you supervise the mentee’s development and career progress. As a mentor, you share knowledge and address personal issues that a mentee experiences.
Advance your career as you communicate, coach and motivate a mentee. It will signal to the industry and organisation your role in ‘giving back’ to the industry, organisation and mentee. This is a powerful message and important in the business world.
Improve your communication and interpersonal skills. As a mentee’s background, experience and career level is individual, your communication is tailored to provide relevant information, and develop the relationship.
Gain new perspectives by listening to the points of view of a mentee as they share their experience and background.
Gain fulfilment and satisfaction to assist a mentee’s growth and development. As you encourage, support and empower a mentee’s success – it is personally and professionally rewarding.

Benefits to the organisation

As the mentee and mentor commit to the mentoring journey, it provides a powerful message that the organisation values, and is willing to invest in its members/employees.
Develop an organisational culture of learning that promotes growth, co-operation amongst staff, high morale, and career development. A mentoring program builds a positive learning community.
Encourage commitment and loyalty to the industry/organisation as it promotes engagement, retention to reduce turnover rates, and performance. It enables faster induction of new staff that overcomes and minimises early problems that individuals may face.
Promote desired company behaviours and attitudes that are shared throughout the organisation, creating consistency and professionalism.

There are many benefits in participating in a mentoring program. It provides professional growth and commitment to one’s career, the organisation, and the industry. It is a privilege to professionally and personally share the development of a mentee’s career. You guide the mentee’s career growth from inexperienced to future leader.

Offering wisdom and support is a gift that mentors can make that will influence the mentee’s career and their life!

Further information on the Mentoring and Development program can be obtained from the website or contact Crown Coaching and Training here.

About Leah Shmerling

Leah Shmerling is the Director and Principal Consultant of Crown Coaching and Training, and has extensive experience in career development, life coaching, education and training.

Leah Shmerling can be contacted here