The term 'mentor' comes from Greek mythology. While Odysseus was fighting the Trojan wars, he appointed Mentor to develop his son, Telemachus, into a future king and warrior.

The mentor in the Odyssey was actually Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, who took the male form in order to be accepted as an appropriate advisor and trainer to a king. Her method of teaching was to lead by example and to provide the opportunity for experiences so that Telemachus could learn from them.

A mentoring program recognizes the value of personal one-on-one contact and involves one person offering another their knowledge, perspectives, insight, wisdom and encouragement. Mentoring is one of the best ways to transfer knowledge, onboard new employees, develop future leaders and improve retention. We believe a good mentor is anyone you can learn from.

Some success factors for our Mentoring Programs are:

  • Clear objectives and a strategy linked to business goals
  • Mentee driven
  • Voluntary participation
  • Structured
  • Mentor/Mentees are trained in communication skills including listening, empathy, appreciative inquiry and cross-generational learning and communication styles

Our Mentoring Programs

MentorPlus

Cross-generational mentoring where the mentor is both teacher and learner. Transfer knowledge by pairing Baby Boomers and Gen X and Y employees. Not only will knowledge be transferred but generational barriers will also be reduced. When generations work together in strategic, business-related activities such as mentoring, everyone benefits. The mentee builds new business knowledge, and the mentor often gets reenergized and reengaged in business opportunities.

There are major differences in business knowledge of 20-year-olds and that of 50-year-olds. Younger employees excel at using technology and their ability to multi-task is equally impressive. Older employees are equally impressive in a very different way: knowledge, experience, creativity, and business acumen. Cross-generational mentoring is one of the most significant ways for integrating these diverse abilities. Everyone learns - everyone benefits.

Cross-Mentoring

Most companies today realize the need for diversity and cross-cultural initiatives. They have multi-generations working together, women having more presence in executive teams, more global business interactions, and they continue to experience the growth of minorities in the U.S. workplace.

Over the past 20 years, we have worked with many organizations to create strategies, and provide training to improve awareness and understanding of differences. Now, we see the need to go a step further by offering a mentoring program.

We understand the keys to a successful cross-cultural mentoring program. Mentoring across cultures requires self-awareness regarding one's own culture. It requires being a student open to learning about differences in the cultures of each other. And, it requires a serious commitment to listening.

Cross-Mentoring can reduce barriers between people, foster career development, enhance interpersonal skills of managers, supervisors and employees of different backgrounds and create more effective working relationships. Organizations also benefit by developing talent, increased retention of diverse employees, and establishing a brand that is welcoming to a diverse and global labor pool.

We can help you customize our programs to meet your specific needs. Contact us to learn more about how unique our programs are and how we can use a combined approach of in person and TeleCoaching to ensure on-going success.