ugere
Equipos & Talento, December 2011- January 2012
Mentoring high potential people
Inspiring growth
“The development of mentoring programmes enhances occupational satisfaction, commitment and loyalty” Francisco Giménez Plano, Augere CEO
Diálogo inspirador
Reflexión
Propuesta influyente
Acción transformadora
uger
The word mentoring comes from Greek mythology by which Odysseus (Ulysses in the Latin version of the name) entrusts his son’s education to his mentor friend. The aim of the Augere corporate people development programme is precisely to identify people with high potential and to design their development, and this area includes the mentoring programme.
What mentoring is and what it is not Mentoring is a development tool of high potential people. It is an effective way to help people in the company to progress in their professional careers by building a relationship of confidence and respect between mentor and mentee, who normally work in a similar area. Mentoring is a methodology that is independent of the hierarchical relationship and which accelerates the mentee’s learning and development. But mentoring is not training, and this is important. A mentor’s work consists of sharing their wisdom and experience, and not of training the mentee in technical knowledge. The mentor will help the mentee to learn by making exchanges, by asking and answering questions and sharing experiences. Mentoring is not coaching either, for a coach prepares people to evolve and does not give advice on their professional careers or opportunities for development, nor helps them to form their internal network. The mentor’s function is to transmit views and to advise the mentee on designing new perspectives for their development plans. The mentor helps the mentee to overcome organisational or technical obstacles by means of their networking and offers a safe, brave place for mentees to express their own learnings, difficulties or aspirations. The mentor seeks to push the mentee beyond their comfort area by supporting their development while proposing demanding targets without preventing their autonomous and responsible growth. They also share their own experiences and their knowledge of the company’s internal workings and corporate culture.
Mentoring process A mentoring programme has different phases of development. Firstly, in the preparatory phase, the mentors and mentees are identified and associated following the established criteria. In the second phase,
launch, the programme is presented to the whole of the organisation and is specifically reported to the project target group before it is developed. Mentors are given specific training on their role and on the tools available to them. For mentees, in addition to having their role in the process clarified, two actions are posed: the first based on a series of sessions that contribute to gaining a greater view of the whole organisation and its business areas, and the second, taking advantage of the first, interaction and the building of a community among the members of the group of mentees. A fourth phase consists of support and follow-up on the process by sessions of supervision and exchange of experiences between the mentors, and individualised support through coaching sessions. Finally a plan is developed for the project communication and image.
Benefits of mentoring Mentoring benefits both mentor and mentee, but it benefits the company too. Mentoring helps other people acquire the form and behaviour of the company leadership style, and helps employees to take responsibility for their own professional development. The development of mentoring programmes enhances occupational satisfaction, commitment and loyalty. It also enables newcomers and people changing professional role to assume their responsibilities more rapidly. What’s more, it increases effective communication, the management of knowledge and the company talent in strategic projects and allows the future backups of the company management to be identified. Many companies have already invested in mentoring programmes. In Microsoft, mentoring “forms a part” of the corporate philosophy. “We have set up a 70/20/10 model (in learning)”, says Jorge Calviño, Director of Talent Management for Microsoft Ibérica. The 20% refers to coaching and mentoring activities. Another example is Sun Microsystems, which in 2006 published the results of a study that concluded that “mentoring had a positive impact on mentors and mentees, and produced employees that were far more valuable for the business”. According to this study, the retention rates were far higher among mentees (72%) and mentors (69%) than among employees not taking part in the mentoring programme (49%).
Inspiring growth
Spain - Barcelona
Colombia - Bogotá
Muntaner 254, 1º 2ª 08021 Barcelona
Callé 108 A Nº 23-48-404, Bogotá
Spain - Madrid
Colombia - Cali
Plaza de las Cortes 5, 5º 28014 Madrid
Avda. 5 nº21-22 Ofc. 703, Cali
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103 Rue de Vaugirard 75006 Paris
Rua Funchal 418, 35 andar, Vila Olímpia 04551-060, Sao Paulo
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Netherlands - Utrecht
Blvd. Manuel Ávila Camacho 36 piso 10, 11000, Mexico DF
Blikkenburgerlaan, 87 3703 Zeist, Utrecht
www.augere.es augere@augere.es T HQ: 902 367 768 T Int: +34 932 404 178
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