4 minute read
Autotechnician magazine October 24
An Inside Job
Why mentoring will give your business a competitive edge, by autotechnician resident HR columnist, Amy Blick
I have noticed a shift in people’s perception of mentoring and how it can benefit not just the individuals being mentored, but also the business bottom line. In days of old, mentoring was regarded as the preserve of big businesses with big budgets. A mentor, often charging eyewatering sums, would come into the business and impart their skills and mentoring expertise, usually to the most senior people. Thankfully, today a growing army of small businesses are cottoning on to the many benefits of mentoring. For an SME like a workshop, it tends to happen organically and without a formal title – at its heart, mentoring is the professional and personal development of an employee by a more experienced colleague. So, you may already be a champion of mentoring but have not thought of it as such.
I would encourage any workshop to consider mentoring because it’s perfect for developing talent from within, for encouraging positive collaboration and for building on all the great things you have worked so hard to create.
And there’s more! Mentoring has the following benefits:
It fosters a culture of learning, curiosity and confidence
It actively encourages the sharing of knowledge
It helps you to retain good people
It helps you to streamline and improve processes
It improves business performance and profitability!
When you are thinking of either being a mentor or nominating a mentor in your business, make sure the chosen person bears the hallmarks of what makes for a great mentor such as:
A genuine desire to help
Being approachable
Trustworthy
Respectful
Patient
Happy to share their expertise
A good listener.
Are you thinking that the task of mentoring falls squarely on your shoulders as the workshop owner/manager? There may be others in your business that have much to impart, and they naturally draw people to them. They may also have more time than you. Crucially, for the person being mentored, it can be hard to open up to the boss, which is why I encourage you to step back and find your mentor from within the team.
How much time?
If the mentor and mentee are to derive significant value from the relationship you will need to free up time for both and book the sessions into the diary. How much time? A good starting point is to allow 60 minutes per session, once or twice a month, with more as momentum builds. The agenda can be fluid but focussing on knowledge transfer, explanation of key processes in your business and soft skills improvement is more than enough for several agendas. Preparation before each session should be scheduled in so that the mentor can be focussed and the mentee can see this is more than just a nice chat. Environment is a key consideration. If your workshop is noisy and busy pretty much all day long, have the sessions away from the shop floor, even at a local coffee shop.
Getting started
I have shared an entire suite of low-cost mentoring resources that I have created for SMEs with the aim of helping you to build a great mentoring programme without spending over the odds. I hope you feel inspired to explore further and don’t forget to quote AUTOTECH10 for your 10% discount!
The HR Playbook – Mentoring Skills Prompt Cards
This set of Prompt Cards for Mentoring is designed for small to medium sized businesses that want to build mentoring through the business with authentic and genuine conversations and relationships. It cultivates leadership abilities, enhances communication and builds a collaborative culture, increasing engagement, upskilling and professional development.
The Prompt Cards will:
Develop mentors to have confidence in building effective mentor relationships
Upskill mentors to confidently transfer knowledge and support growth
Build a driven culture of empowering others and collaboration success
Create well-rounded and comprehensive employee experience.
Ideal for:
Workshops that want to give structure to professional development and create genuine mentor pathways
Teams that need guidance on how to mentor and to confidently nurture these skills
Workshops that want to align current mentoring initiatives and build consistency and structure to create formal mentoring pathways.
https://thehrplaybook.co.uk/product/mentoring-skillsprompt-cards/
Performance Management
This suite of Performance Management documents is designed for small to medium sized businesses that require a framework and the tools to set clear goals, provide real-time feedback and build professional and personal development for each employee throughout the year.
Includes:
Quick Guide to Performance Management (serves as Performance Management Policy)
Annual Review Form
Quarterly Review Form
Monthly Review Form
One-to-One Form
Personal Development Form
Probation Policy
Probation Form.
Results:
Drive consistency of performance management across the business
Upskill managers to confidently have discussions
Build a driven culture of objective setting and transparent success
Create well-rounded and comprehensive employee experience.
https://thehrplaybook.co.uk/product/performancemanagement-suite/
HR Power Hour
Message Amy if you would like to have a recruitment power hour – an online one-to-one packed with top tips and strategies for your business
