HOW TO SET UP A MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

“A clear career path is important but so is the idea that the company you are working for is invested in your professional growth and development,” wrote Jami Oetting, Senior Manager of HubSpot's Multimedia Content Strategy Team. “When you have a mentor who is removed from judging your performance, it makes it easier to ask those questions, vent about small things, and open up about fears, worries, and the inevitable stumbles.

“By pairing a person up with someone from another department or team, you are exposing the employee to new knowledge about the way the business is run, people with different ideas and perspectives about the industry, and new opportunities,” she wrote. “This is especially important for people who may love the company but have found out that they are just not passionate about their current position.” Here are her tips:

1 MATCH PEOPLE BY INTERESTS OR WHAT THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE

2 DON'T FORCE IT, BUT MAKE IT SERIOUS Don't make the mentorship mandatory but insist that mentors and mentees make a commitment. Have them sign a “contract” that states that they will make the programme a priority and honour their commitments to one another.

3 EMPOWER THE MENTEE TO TAKE CHARGE The mentee should be responsible for setting the time and date of the meetings. Give each mentee a Starbucks coffee card so they could be seen as the one "taking out" their mentor.

4 CREATE STRUCTURE, BUT NOT TOO MUCH In the contract, set up expectations (eg, meet once a month for a year). Also make sure the meetings take place off-site.

5 ALLOW FOR REVERSE MENTORING Mentoring isn't just for new or young employees. Marla Kaplowitz, CEO of leading agency MEC North America, wanted to connect with today's tech-savvy generation to better understand how they are truly using and connecting with new and emerging tools and technology. She joked that her mentor would have to be open to “teaching an old dog some new tricks.” Getting senior leadership involved in any type of formal programme shows the team that this is a priority for the agency and that there is no end to learning and professional development for employees.