Mentorship in professional education: Guiding the next generation of leaders

Let’s start with an interesting conversation that happens in corporates every other day. Think of a scenario where a manager and employee are sittingon a development plan. “I want to attend training sessions on the following topics.” the employee shares. The manager,who has his training budget (if any) at the back of his mind says that the development goals must be fulfilled in the following manner; 70% on the job, 20% through interactions and 10% in the classroom.

Nothing right or wrong about the 70-20-10 model of learning and development.The big question is how does this 70% learning get enabled in a manner where the employee moves forward on his /her / their development goals.There are many ways to do this, through projects, feedback sessions, inputson how to improve performance etc etc.The common thread in all of these is coaching and mentorship.

Mentorship is defined as a professional relationship where a mentor provides guidance, support, and feedback to a mentee, fostering their personal and professional growth. Mentors can offer insights into their own experiences, share knowledge and skills, and provide encouragement and motivation. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of mentorship. For instance:

• Research on college students: Studies have shown that mentorship programs for college students have resulted in higher GPAs, improved academic performance, and increased involvement in campus activities.

• Research on entrepreneurs: Mentorship programs for entrepreneurs have been shown to improve business outcomes, such as increased revenue and profitability.

• Research on professionals: Studies have found that mentorship programs for professionals can result in higher job satisfaction, faster career advancement, and increased earnings.

So the question is what does it take for amentor-mentee relationship to work and create impact or not work? First and foremost one must realise that this is a two way relationship.The case for mentee as shared above is reasonably clear, It works. The question is what does it do for a mentor? First, learning is both ways. In many of these relationships mentor and mentee exchange ideas from different perspectives and end up arriving at robust solutions that are more than what each of them brought to the table.Second the sense of purpose and satisfaction from having mentored someone cannot be undermined by anything else. Third, mentors end up having an extended network and a wider team.It doesn’t work when there is a mismatch of personal chemistry, a significant power gap where the mentor doesn’t derive any value for them to continue it, if there is a lack of commitment in either and lastly and most importantly there is a lack of alignment on the objective or mismatched expectations.

Well planned and well matched Mentorship works! Whether it’s formal or informal, structured or unstructured. Old as this is, this space is continuing to evolve.There are formats like group mentoring which recognises that a single mentor may not adequately cover the needs of a mentee. AI driven mentoring is the new kid on the horizon with multiple startups trying to tackle this need, sooner or later someone is bound to come up with the product that really works. Organizations need to embrace this and cultivate a culture where mentors and mentees together create outcomes that are better! Mentorship can and will continue to shape the future of professional development and drive innovation across industries.So the next time you areprivy to a conversation on development, think about the role mentorship can play in impacting 70% of any employee’s professional growth.

(The author is Founder Marching Sheep)