Mentorship Programs Valuable for Growing New Leaders

Mentorships are a valuable way for employers to grow leadership from within their ranks, while building employee satisfaction through repeated engagement. That was the overarching message of a best practices workshop the Bay Area Council organized on Friday, August 3 that focused on the value of building and sustaining effective mentorship programs. Graciously hosted by Genentech, participants included Bain & Company, Kaiser Permanente, New Deal Advisors, Stanford Medicine, Technology Credit Union and United Airlines. The discussion was robust, providing leadership in how to incentivize participation in mentorship programs, while underscoring the importance of maintaining regular check-ins on the efficacy of internal programs.

Participants identified key takeaways such as developing metrics to measure the efficiency of the program, building succession plans, and making a deliberate effort to improve inclusivity and diversity of programs, and lifting previously marginalized populations. As companies grow, it is essential to build bridges between leadership and junior level employees. The next best practices workshop will focus on performance management. For more information on the Council’s Workforce of the Future initiatives, please contact Senior Vice President Linda Bidrossian.