We often find ourselves deluged under situations at work where we wish there was someone to guide us on what to do next. Whether it is a situation at graduate-level employment or years after the toil to finally achieve the top management position we were eyeing on. Similar is the dilemma with organizations.
Micro-Mentoring, is one of the wonderful concepts designed by the brightest minds of this empowered world which can help us carve our aspirations into reality. We often find ourselves complaining about the lack of such support from our organizations. Therefore, it is prudent for the corporate to understand its importance.
Following are the top five reasons why experienced corporate organizations should consider venturing into Micro-Mentoring:
1. Guidance to the employees: Consider two scenarios, one of a university graduate and the other of an experienced employee. A graduate student entering into the corporate world, just out of university, may not be well aware of their aspirations or even if they are, of the pathways to achieve those. A well-bonded mentor may just be the solution to their dilemma. Having faced similar situations at work, the mentor may be enterprising enough to suggest a career pathway for the graduate.
Now let us look at the case for an experienced employee. An employee, having worked in the lower and middle management level, faces significant challenges to making their way to chosen few. For them, achieving their aspirations and goals requires someone to guide them through the organization's culture and network. A senior and experienced mentor can definitely help them in articulating the best path possible. They can also introduce the employee to a wide variety of useful networks that might be necessary for growth.
2. Increases employee's trust in an organization: When employees feel cared for, it automatically increases their trust in the organization. Their time-based investment in that organization appears valuable as it respects their individual goals. Therefore, they feel a certain 'psychological safety'. It affirms their beliefs that the organization is concerned with their growth and therefore, it encourages them to invest more time in the company. This ultimately leads to reduced iteration rates.
3. Builds a strong organization culture: An organization where employees feel valued and cared for forms the very basis of a strong culture. By Micro-mentoring, employees also understand the importance of sharing. This encourages them to look at the organization holistically as opposed to the siloed approach many firms suffer from. It further encourages them to view growth from the company's perspective rather than merely focusing on their personal outcomes and gains. They are driven to work towards a value-based outcome rather than a bottom-line driven approach.
4. Improves the organization's reputation: It is true to say that employees are the biggest assets and stakeholders for any organization. An organization's reputation is developed mostly by the word of mouth publicity or criticism done by its existing employees. This feedback works towards the public relations manager for the organization. In the age of the internet and free access to information, this reputation can make or break the system. We all know the effects of speculation on the share market. Therefore, such feedback can not only add publicity to organization but also affect the financial stability of the organization. Ultimately, we need to realize that common people are the biggest stakeholders in any company.
5. Develops a better talent pool: When a company is reputed to have a strong organizational culture, is well reputed and trusted by its employees, It ultimately attracts more people and a better talent pool towards itself. People who are ambitious yet aim to have a supportive work environment are encouraged to apply for such corporates. Students who have recently graduated from the university, consider such firms as their dream job. They strive to ensure employment with such companies and do not think twice before putting in efforts for the same. Ultimately, the companies end up having a bigger and quality pool of talent which then adds up to their growth.
Therefore, encouraging a Micro-Mentoring culture forms a give and take the relationship between employees and employers.
Despite the many benefits of Micro-mentoring, we often see organizations lacking in their efforts to execute the same. This can be attributed to the more formalized approach these firms prefer to follow. The human resources pair mentors with mentees and often does not consider the alignment of their interests or even willingness. While this works well in the achievement of compliance, it seldom does any benefit for personal growth.
Investment in Micro-mentoring also involves time and cost. This is a common tradeoff faced by even the most experienced and mature businesses. Another issue with Micro-mentoring is the lack of tangible benefits one can see from it. The organization cannot record these benefits on their balance sheets and profit and loss statements. Therefore, senior management often ignores it during their 'numbers' discussion. However, what we need to understand is the long term intangible benefit it provides which can then be translated into numbers and figures via the value addition it does for the stakeholders and shareholders. Therefore, it becomes a win-win scenario for everyone.
However, Micro-mentoring should be encouraged to remain as informal as possible. A forced regime will only diminish the value of both parties involved. It is only when the organizations will understand the win-win scenario, they will realize the need to implement it.
At Headstrt, we understand these consequences. We are a social network for insights. We believe that a more informal micro-mentoring can solve the problems which traditional mentoring faces. We also believe that implementing such a regime will help us in achieving our goals of better organization culture, employee trust, reputation which will all finally add value to the organization. We encourage peer to peer interaction via facilitating a willing conversation between the mentor and the mentee. Thus we encourage people to cherish the aforementioned benefits. Join Headstrt today to know more.
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