20 Apr Develop Leaders Within Your Succession Pipeline Menttium Workshop at the March 2018 HRMAC CHRO Roundtable
At Menttium, we take pride in engaging in numerous discussions and workshops throughout the year to help others better understand who we are and what we do. We have seen and experienced the power of mentoring over our 27-year history, and we want organizations to understand the value of corporate mentoring and its individual and organizational benefits. Recently, we had the honor of conducting a workshop for the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC) CHRO Roundtable Series. The interactive session brought together HR leaders from a variety of companies and industries in the Chicago area to discuss how mentoring can unlock potential and drive stronger performance.
Missy Chicre and Stacy Richards from the Menttium Senior Leadership Team led the session, including moderating an engaging panel discussion with a mentee, mentor, and Program Manager from our Menttium community. All of our panelists were able to speak firsthand about their experience with mentoring from their own vantage point, sharing compelling stories and powerful examples of how mentoring has enriched them as individuals and has benefited their organizations.
The Roundtable Themes and Objectives
With an audience of HR leaders, the dialogue revolved around how HR leaders can enable their talent strategies by leveraging mentoring to develop and grow key talent. We also discussed the key elements of a successful mentoring program, calling upon our expertise to highlight the rigor and structure required to set mentoring programs up for success. Within the discussion we focused heavily on a vital cornerstone of our mentoring philosophy: mentee driven and mentor guided. We know it is imperative for mentees to drive the partnership and be clear on their development goals in order for mentoring to work and for mentors to act as a guide rather than having all the answers.
A stimulating dialogue took place between our attendees and panelists, who were extremely authentic and open about their experiences. At Menttium, we believe the power of mentoring is often a result of the “point of difference” and matching a mentor/mentee with different experiences, viewpoints, and backgrounds to see the world through different lenses. We believe the right mentor can accelerate learning, increase confidence, broaden perspectives and help key talent realize their true potential. Our mentee and mentor panelists who joined the session are currently in a mentoring partnership, so they were able to showcase the power of mentoring through their own journey so far. They were able to provide specific examples of the benefits of mentoring at the personal, professional, and organizational level.
By the end of the session, all in attendance were able to walk away feeling inspired by the power of mentoring and curious to reflect more on how mentoring could play a role in their leadership development strategies. Attendees also left with an awareness of the critical elements of a successful mentoring program, knowing that significant effort is required upfront to launch a mentoring program effectively.
Key Takeaways from the 2018 HRMAC CHRO Roundtable
With our combined experience, research, and measurement approach we know the benefits of mentoring and were able to share those benefits with both qualitative and quantitative data during the discussion. In fact, research from our Return on Mentoring reports tells us that mentees who go through Menttium mentoring programs report a positive impact on engagement, confidence, retention, and readiness for career progression.
We also believe that mentoring focuses on the whole person to help people thrive in work and in life. When we connect with mentees all over the world, they often share the same reflection – that their mentoring experience was a life-changing one! We provided all session attendees with a copy of our book, “Unlocking Potential,” which shares learnings and stories from many of our mentees and mentors organized around five key themes: potential, perspective, trust, wisdom, and confidence.
In the words of one of our long-time mentors who started out as a mentee many years ago:
“I’m sometimes asked why I’m so passionate about mentoring. I often answer in a simple business term — return on investment.
Mentoring is one of life’s rare activities that generate positive results for the participants, their organizations, and their broader circles of influence. This positive impact is achieved simply by showing concern for another and investing time in them.”
– Jessie Burgess
Learn More About Corporate Mentoring with Menttium
If you missed out on the 2018 HRMAC CHRO Roundtable, there are still ample opportunities for you to learn more about the benefits of corporate mentoring. Menttium takes pride in participating in numerous events throughout the year as both leaders and participants; and of course, further information on our services and best practices can be found on our website. If you would like to learn more about how corporate mentoring can enable your talent and D&I strategies, please reach out to us today.