The wellbeing of employees is of utmost importance to the success of a company, especially in a pandemic. Companies are being forced to rethink their business models and investments in ways they’ve not previously had to. They are changing the nature of how they take care of their employees; safety has taken on a whole new meaning. And mental health of employees as they navigate work from home or drastically changed working conditions is of increased importance.
That’s why now is the perfect time to invest in mentoring – for both mentors and mentees.
People need a lifeline into their company. There is less in-the-same-office-space contact, there is less opportunity for connection. This elevates the criticality of mentoring. Leaders of organizations need to be thinking about how they are going to grow their talent in a very different work environment. It starts with a total overhaul of talent development, which includes mentoring.
Mentoring is a cost-effective way to pass on knowledge. Now – when formalized leadership development programs are on the back burner – companies can leverage this opportunity to finally tackle the issue of passing on tribal knowledge, something that companies have been struggling to solve for years.
Companies can also be rethinking projects that no one ever seems to have the time for, and use those projects as opportunities for development. These are seemingly small and mid-size projects that are not capital intensive but need a little extra time. Use this time to redeploy employees on a range of projects that they didn’t have the bandwidth for before, and use those projects as an opportunity for mentoring. Employees worried about their job security would likely be happy to do it, and would likely learn from it.
Now for those of you naysayers out there:
- Time: If you’re saying it’s not a good time, it’s never a good time. Companies who prioritize employee development will retain their top talent when other companies start hiring again.
- Touch Stone: Mentoring keeps your people grounded during a time of uncertainty. Having to take the time every week to meet with an intern or a mentee causes you to pause, stop and fully immerse yourself in someone else.
- Capacity: Prioritize your capacity. Use this time to look at your list of priorities and grade them for high value/high impact. Shed work that is unnecessary, redistribute it or get help where you can. And then put mentoring at the top of your priority list.
Employees – invest in yourself, take time for yourself. Leaders – take the time to invest in others. This will pay dividends – whether literal or figurative – for everyone, and it’s a great way to leave a legacy.
LinkedIn Poll Results
I asked LinkedIn users to rate highly effective mentors and ineffective mentors. Below is a breakdown of the results. Keep this in mind as you take on new mentors or are looking for a mentor.
Top Attributes
Bottom Attributes