I have delivered workshops and keynote presentations on the topic of Mentoring for the last 5 years.  My clients, like any organization today, are realizing that there are tremendous benefits to be derived from having a formalized Mentoring program in place.  Some of the benefits are:

• addressing gaps in knowledge management/corporate memory, as older workers plan to retire in the next 5 years
• being recognized in recruitment efforts as an employer or choice, as new talent is both interested and well versed in the topic of mentoring
• using mentoring as a way to assist in retention of staff, since the confidential nature of the relationship facilitates open discussions about the protege’s motivation and general job satisfaction
• providing for career management and development of key talent, since mentors can provide valuable information and networking opportunities to impact human resource/succession planning

Beyond these benefits, which are significant to any employer, Mentoring programs provide another huge opportunity – mentor engagement!!  Talk to just about any mentor, and they will comment on how the experience of Mentoring increased their own engagement and energy for their work, as much (if not more) than the protege experienced!  The magic of Mentoring is that while it is often positioned to benefit the protege, the real benefits to the organization go beyond the protege to the mentor!

I also happen to deliver workshops and keynote presentations on Pre-Retirement Lifestyle Planning; and consistently the message of the near-retiree is ‘I want to leave on a high note in my career’; ‘I want to leave a legacy’.  Positioning your Mentoring program to benefit both parties involved means that the organization benefits from higher productivity on all levels.  Additionally, you’ll have a lot more interest from senior staff to volunteer when they are reminded that there are trendous benefits to being a mentor.

Another workshop I have delivered for select corporate clients is Attendance Management.  In every session, the challenge of engaging and motivating older workers comes up.  Certainly not every older worker is under-performing (most I know are very high performers); however, there are some.  In these workshops, managers who attend will readily admit that often their older workers are disengaged and demotivated (just putting in time) because they are treated that way in the organization (“John’s ‘retired’ on the job so we don’t consider him for new projects”).  Think about the possibilities to impact performance with this group by engaging, and re-energizing them, as mentors.

If you have not already thought about implementing a Mentoring program in your organization, read this article on Mentoring and consider the benefits to you, your staff, and your business results.