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Mentoring clearly benefits theindividual by improving overallperformance, increasing satisfactionwith their role and developing self-awareness. The mentor enjoys thesatisfaction of developingtransferable skills and helping theirmentee - and the recognition of theorganisation. For employees whofeel valued generally show loyaltyand commitment above and beyondtheir pay-scale.

Recent research found that:� only 30 per cent of people are fully

engaged at work� fewer than 50 per cent wish to

remain with their current employer� 68 per cent feel unsupported.

On the other hand, organisationswith highly engaged staffoutperform their low-engagementcounterparts in both the private and

improving performance, whereasmentoring emphasises the transfer ofknowledge, and primarily focuses onidentifying and nurturing thepotential of the whole person. Forexample, in the Mentoring Handbook,it is defined as:

‘a confidential one-to-onerelationship in which an individualuses a more experienced person as asounding board and for guidance. Itis a protected, non-judgementalrelationship, which facilitates a widerange of learning, experimentationand development. It is built onmutual regard, trust and respect’(Business Wales, 2013).

Much workplace learning takes placeinformally, whether it’s someone

learning from a line manager orpeers learning from each other:both provide opportunities foreveryone to grow and improvetogether.

Exposure to good role models canbe a daily constant in anorganisation: in addition toinformal mentoring, you canintroduce a more structuredapproach to ensure that the skillsand competencies that areidentified as being positive andeffective in the organisation areembedded in your team. In essence,mentoring involves motivating,inspiring and challenging, and isunderpinned by nurturing,confidentiality and integrity.

Alex Clapson, who until recently was responsiblefor coaching and mentoring across the Welsh PublicService, urges mentoring as a useful and cost-effective add-on to your training programme,which will enhance the performance of both parties

Mentoring andyour nursery

‘Mentors who talkabout competencies,but act in ways thatmake it clear they havenot truly taken themon board themselves,undermine both themessage and theimpact of mentoring’

‘If you want a harvest in

one year, grow a crop. If

you want a harvest in ten

years, grow trees. If you

want a harvest that will

last a lifetime, grow people’

Chinese proverb

Growing your own used to takeplace in gardens andallotments, but now it

happens in the workplace too, withhuman capital, rather than crops,being the harvest. And an increasingnumber of individuals andorganisations are recognisingmentoring as a cost-effective way ofdeveloping staff, improving staffretention, increasing employeeengagement – and, of course,growing their businesses.

A definitionWhat is mentoring, and how does itdiffer from coaching? The growingconsensus is that coaching focuses on

2. Group mentoringThis involves one mentor workingwith four to six mentees at a time.The group would usually meetmonthly to discuss developmentaland practice issues and developappropriate skills / knowledge. Thisworks well for organisations with alimited number of mentors and alarge number of mentees.

A particular benefit is that menteesnot only learn from the mentor, butalso from their fellow mentees. Onthe other hand, its effectiveness islimited by the difficulty of regularlyscheduling several busy employees.It also lacks the personal relationshipthat most people value in mentoring.For this reason, it’s often combinedwith the one-to-one model.

Monitoring successMany apparently successfulinterventions are abandoned becauseof a lack of data. “We know thatimprovement has happened, but wecannot prove it” is a phrase oftenheard in business. Among thetechniques for measuring success, isthe DMAIC improvement cycle:� Define: clearly define the problem� Measure: get a baseline – How are

you doing today?� Analyse: what does the data

indicate? � Improve: generate and select

solutions� Control: demonstrate that the

change has been sustained.

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public sectors. The claim is that£26bn in added GDP - or grossdomestic product - could be realisedfrom this wasted opportunity(BlessingWhite, 2012).

Counting the costHigh staff turnover is a challengefacing many businesses: the cost ofrecruiting and training an individualis estimated at £4,800. What’s more,the average employee absenteeismrate is 7.7 days per year – a cost of£600 per member of staff (CIPD,2011).

A more inclusive and engagingapproach with the potential toreduce sickness and stress levels is tointroduce a mentoring culture, forthis supports both staff developmentand staff retention, while helping tobuild capacity. As such, it’s ideallysuited to succession planning. It canalso help with the transfer of skillsacross the workforce, ensuring thatthe organisation can withstand andrespond to change.

You can quickly recoup therelatively low cost of a simplementoring programme, whichcompares favourably with theongoing expense of cover for absentstaff. Indeed, mentoring can work inmost organisations, regardless ofsize, culture, or sector.

Among the numerous mentoringmodels available, those that areparticularly suited to the workplaceare one-to-one and groupmentoring.

1. One-to-one mentoringFor this, mentor is matched tomentee, and progress is monitored.They are matched on the basis ofexperience, skillsets, goals,personality and so on. Generally,people are comfortable with thisapproach, as it encourages apersonal relationship.

The mentee benefits fromindividual support and attention,not only from the mentor, but alsofrom the mentoring co-ordinator.This works particularly well fororganisations that want to target aspecific group for development orretention purposes, includingemerging leaders, highly skilledworkers or a specific affinity groupwhere you want to promotediversity. The only real limitation isthe availability of mentors.

Choosing a mentorWho can be a mentor? In essence, welearn by watching others. It isimportant, therefore, that the mentorembodies the competencies they talkabout. Mentors who talk aboutcompetencies, but act in ways thatmake it clear they have not trulytaken them on board themselves,undermine both the message and theimpact of mentoring. For this reason,ongoing evaluation and feedbackfrom both parties is crucial.

I would advise you to incorporate acode of ethics into your mentoringprogrammes, such as the one theEuropean Mentoring & CoachingCouncil has developed, which hasfive cornerstones:� competence (experience,

knowledge, and continuingprofessional development)

� context (the mentoring interventionshould be appropriate for bothindividual and organisation)

� boundary management� integrity (maintaining

confidentiality)� professionalism.

In conclusion, mentoring, which isfounded on the belief that employeesoperate at their best when they feelvalued, utilised and included, is aproven alternative to costly trainingprogrammes. A learning relationshipmonitored by someone who is notyour boss, underpinned by high-quality supervision and continuingprofessional development, makesexcellent economic sense in thecurrent climate, with increasingconstraints on budgets.

Putting the individual at the heartof the organisation and investing intheir personal and professionaldevelopment increases theirproductivity, effectiveness andloyalty – and the chance of theirstaying with you. Given the capacityissues in many organisations and thechallenges of creating sustainableorganisational models, mentoringoffers the perfect solution. �

� Alex is a trainer and director at Talkworks Training & Development Ltd, whichprovides coaching and training programmes as well as management, business andinterpersonal skills training. He is also a visiting lecturer at Swansea University.

E: alexclapson@yahoo.co.uk W: http://www.slideshare.net/AlexClapsonTwitter: @AlexClapson You can also find Alex on LinkedIn