In the past individuals would learn skills and knowledge through training, education and experience. However, in today’s fast paced environment companies need staff to learn and have the knowledge that comes with experience quickly. They also need to know that the education and knowledge that the individual is gaining is not simply “book knowledge” but that it can be practically applied to their everyday work tasks.

When implementing a mentorship programme within the workplace keep in mind that mentorship is not management. Mentorship is a relationship between two people who have a shared vocational connection. A mentor should be someone who has travelled the same path as the mentee and can thus offer valuable insight and experience regarding the challenges the mentee is facing. The entire relationship should be focused around the transfer of knowledge from a more experienced individual to a less experienced individual.

The benefits of mentorship are plentiful and ultimately have a significant effect on how the individual overcomes challenges and handles new situations. Through mentorship the mentee will feel a sense of individual recognition, encouragement and support. He/she will also feel an increased sense of self-esteem when faced with challenges and have the confidence to challenge themselves, achieve goals and explore new possibilities. They will also receive a realistic perspective of the workplace and a realistic understanding of how to handle problematic issues. Ultimately mentoring empowers employees by serving as a learning tool.

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of mentorship lies in the contribution it makes to succession planning. Often companies struggle to develop their upcoming leadership pool as staff are simply too busy to be sent on training and be taken out of the workplace. In addition – no training can replace the wealth of knowledge that comes with experience. In order to ensure the company does not suffer when a senior role is left open – it is essential that the experience accumulated by senior individuals is transferred onto future leaders. Mentorship is one of the most successful ways to ensure this happens successfully. There is a wealth of knowledge and talent in any organisation and the challenge is to tap into this and make it available to others within the company who need it.

To develop a successful mentoring and succession planning programme you need to start by identifying those key individuals who possess the skills and potential to take up future leadership roles. You then need to identify mentors who are respected leaders within the organisation. Avoid a mentoring relationship between supervisors and subordinates if possible. The next step is to define a time period and set up evaluations with each individual separately to ensure the mentorship is progressing suitably.

The key to a company’s long term success is often a well implemented succession plan and the cultivation of leadership potential. When mentoring becomes part of this strategy companies will notice a strengthening of skills, a greater level of job satisfaction and a transfer of experience. When mentorship programmes becomes ingrained in a company’s values they can be sure that they are building the best possible future for themselves and their future leaders.