Why you must have a mentor
Helps new employees orient better in the culture of the organisation.
Helps existing employees get access to people at the top of the hierarchy.
Creates an informal culture where the interaction is not confined to the workplace alone.
Cross-functional mentors also help in the understanding of other functions in the organisation.
Mentoring helps employees understand the organisation better.
A mentor benefits by interacting with young blood and new ideas. It is almost like revisiting college and early days, wherein their experiences help enrich others.
Being selected as a mentor is also seen as a recognition of the employee's competence. It shows that the employee is capable of being a guide and a role model to others.
Why a mentor may not always help
In the case of same function mentors, it might be a bit awkward to get an informal relationship going and would not serve its purpose unless handled carefully.
The boss being a mentor may defeat the purpose.
Unless all the mentors are trained and the expectations defined at the beginning of the programme, the process may lose steam midway and leave mentors confused.
"The disadvantage of a formal mentorship process in an organisation is that if you don't look up to the mentor allotted to you, you are stuck," adds Nitesh Tiwari.
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