Mentoring/coaching : Don't kill it at Hello!

I was asked to respond to a query by one of my protege on Everwise. The questions were : "Why do organizations run into problems running internal mentoring programs? What are the key issues that others have seen in their own companies? How can those be avoided?"

I responded to the above based on my own field experiences and  I thought perhaps it will useful to share it here too. My focus is more on why 'mentoring programs' may fail.

Issue 1 : Speeding to death. Take your time to educate, immerse and reinforce your folks on the importance of mentoring. Begin with the C suite first.Warning: If they agree too quickly, you will be in trouble soon enough. They probably didn't know or realize how much involvement will be required of them. 

Issue 2 : Paralysis by analysis. Don't get drawn into the semantics of what is mentoring vs coaching vs counselling etc. We all have our favorite definitions but focus on what the CEO or the key sponsor wants to achieve. In my case my CFO at that time actually wanted outcomes of a coaching process for his team but he called it 'mentoring'. Guess what? Mentoring it was! During the mentor education session though, I made it a point to differentiate them and I told the mentors that they will inevitably be doing both at the work place. And, that's fine. Remember that you are not conducting a certification process. You are delivering a business initiative which involves managers who otherwise are fighting battles on many other fronts. Make it simple for them and make it sophisticated gradually. 

Issue 3 : Being fancy. Well, don't. Begin with simple initiatives. Use internal resources first while at the same time learning from best practices from other companies/experts. Don't worry if your process and methodology doesn't comply with the standards set by the "Universal Association of Galactic Mentoring Professionals'! You will have plenty of time to meet those standards as your program matures. In my experience I know I have 'arrived' when the designated mentors/coaches themselves ask me whether there are any certification or further training that they can go for. This means that I now have true believers without having to preach from a pulpit. 

Issue 4 : Poor naming. No, don't call it "Mentoring Program".  Brand it in a way that your folks feel for it and it gives an instinctive business connection. Your branding/communication folks should be able to do that. Use that name for all things related to the program. I don't know what Intel calls it's mentoring program but I would have called it 'Mentor Inside'! You get the point? I must thank my previous CEO who had constantly drummed into me the importance of branding my initiatives to build emotional connection with the targeted employees. 

Issue 5 : Being casual about it. This is a full-time job. If your total employee headcount is anything more than 500 people, you need a dedicated resource or at least a team member who can spend 70% of his/her time on this. Otherwise the program will die. You need to constantly carry out various activities/communication blitz/reminders/recognition etc to keep it alive and healthy.

Wishing you the best with your mentoring program.