Content about Mentorship

May 29, 2012
L&D Best Practices: Succession Planning and Mentoring

Training magazine taps 2012 Training Top 125 winners and Top 10 Hall of Famers  to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. Here, we look at strategies for succession planning and mentoring.

Succession Planning

By Kevin W. Bruny, SPHR, Chief Learning Officer, Chesterfield County, VA

April 12, 2012
Mentoring and Business Coaching Facilitate Company Success

If coaching is based only on hot ideas, it is nothing more than hucksterism. Coaching must be a thorough process of guiding the client through the levels of accomplishment.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

Question 1: How fast is the coaching industry growing?

Coaching industries are growing rapidly because self-styled experts are creating pockets of business for themselves. Demands have long existed for quality service...with few seasoned business advisors available. Thus, niche consultants served the business.

March 21, 2012
Mentoring: Taking Time Saves Time

Many leaders, while well intentioned, often are unprepared or underprepared for the mentor role. Many claim the lack of time is the issue. Sure, it’s an issue, but probably not theissue. It is important to remember that taking time to prepare for mentoring ultimately saves time. Here are five steps to get started and five mentoring skills to cultivate.

By Dr. Lois J. Zachary, President, Leadership Development Services, LLC

Many leaders, while well intentioned, often are unprepared or underprepared for the mentor role. Many claim the lack of time is the issue. Sure, it’s an issue, but probably not theissue. It is important to remember that taking time to prepare for mentoring ultimately saves time.

How do we know?We’ve conducted hundreds of interviews with organizational leaders who are involved in mentoring relationships. What our research has demonstrated is:

February 21, 2012
The Battle for Great Talent

Heidrick & Struggles recently commissioned a survey in partnership with The Economistof more than 400 CEOs globally to tell us about their attitudes on hiring prospects for the future. The survey results, along with other data and input from global economists, formed the basis of the Heidrick & Struggles Global Talent Index, which shows that the demand for talent across the globe is outstripping supply.

By Judy Braun,VP, Global Talent Development, Heidrick & Struggles

Human Resources (HR) executives know all too well that despite continued high unemployment, one of the major risks to a business is the difficulty in locating and attracting the right talent. When it comes to shaping the future health of a business, the ongoing practice of retaining and hiring top talent is crucial. Recent research from Heidrick & Struggles supports the idea that as the economy improves, competition to find and keep this top talent will only become fiercer.

January 3, 2012
Soapbox: Paychex Train-the-Trainer Partnership Program

The Paychex Train-the-Trainer Partnership enhances the training skills of a select few business unit subject matter experts, giving them the tools and confidence to educate peers and fellow employees. It also allows the Training Department to become a more integral partner with the business unit, providing support and resources to achieve mutual goals.

By Lisa Green, Training Manager, HRS and H&B Operations, at the Paychex Training and Development Center

Kelly Schnupp never thought participating in a three-month program to enhance her training skills would have such a powerful and immediate impact on the company’s bottom line, but her experience with the Paychex Train-the-Trainer Partnership has left her pleasantly surprised.

December 8, 2011
The Boss as a Mentor

Mentoring is one of the major responsibilities of any boss—regardless of whether it is listed in the job description or not. It is also critical to developing a “high-performance” work culture. At the heart of mentoring is encouragement. Creating a climate where people feel they can grow will eliminate much of the fear that often exists with growth.

By Jeff Kortes, President, Human Asset Management LLC

November 23, 2011
How-To: Start a Corporate Mentoring Program

Starting a corporate mentoring program can seem like a huge task, and for that reason alone, many organizations simply don’t do it. They talk themselves out of it and rationalize that the “informal” mentoring taking place organically in the organization is enough. But it’s not.

Starting a corporate mentoring program can seem like a huge task, and for that reason alone, many organizations simply don’t do it. They talk themselves out of it and rationalize that the “informal” mentoring taking place organically in the organization is enough. But it’s not.

Here are 10 tips to help you get your program off to a successful start:

November 10, 2011
Trainer vs. Mentor

Do you have a trainer or a mentor in your department? Do you properly mentor the new employee for their role, or just train them for their everyday tasks? Are you doing your best to ensure that the value of providing legendary customer service is as important as the tasks associated with the position?

By Joe Lipham, Training Account Manager, Signature Worldwide

One morning while working in my former position as a human resource director for a resort, I was finishing my daily coffee run when my front-office manager, Kate, approached me. She was relatively new in her position and usually was full of ideas and had lots of energy—she was ready to make her mark on the organization! Unfortunately, I could see on this occasion that she was looking a little down.

November 8, 2011
Evaluating Training Providers

Everyone talks about the benefits of training, but it’s important to identify these benefits in your organization. Then, when you are ready to look at potential training providers, you will know exactly what you should expect to receive from them. Here are the seven biggest benefits of training, followed by tips for selecting and evaluating training providers.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

Everyone talks about the benefits of training, but it’s important to identify these benefits in your organization. Then, when you are ready to look at potential training providers, you will know exactly what you should expect to receive from them. Below are the seven biggest benefits of training, followed by tips for selecting and evaluating training providers.

7 Biggest Benefits of Training

October 13, 2011
Creating a Culture of Lifelong Learning

Creating happy and loyal employees who will create happy and loyal customers happens in a culture of lifelong learning. Remember to include the fundamental importance of visible leadership, role models, and “champions” of the cause within the organization.

By Kristy Westfall Moyer, Training Account Manager, Signature Worldwide

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”—Benjamin Franklin

Whether you are a customer-centered or an employee-focused company, success hinges on sustaining a culture of lifelong learning. Happy employees equal happy customers, and in study after study, they show that the happiest employees are the well-trained ones who receive ongoing education.

October 11, 2011
Big Picture Professional Education Necessary for Company Success

There is a large disconnect between indoctrinating people to tools of the trade and the myriad elements they will need to assimilate for their own futures. Training vendors sell what they have to provide...not what the constituencies or workforces need. Emphasis must be placed upon properly diagnosing the organization as a whole and then prescribing treatments for the whole, as well as the parts.

By Hank Moore, Corporate Strategist

There is a difference between how one is basically educated and the ingredients needed to succeed in the long term. Many people never amass those ingredients because they stop learning or don’t see the need to go any further. Many people think they are “going further” but otherwise spin their wheels.

May 18, 2011
Coaching: What Are We Talking About?

Many of us are still unclear about what coaching is. The key is to clarify the notion of coaching in the organizational context and to assist the person responsible for coaching (human resources director, sales director, or manager) to identify the most appropriate form of coaching in the circumstances.

By Carole Trépanier, DBA, and Anne Mathieu, Ph.D.

We are presently in the midst of a full-scale coaching boom. According to recent research, books on the topic are being published at a rate of more than one a week and there now are more than 18,000 professional personal and business coaches registered as members of the International Coaching Federation compared to 11,000 in 2006 (http://www.coachfederation.org/about-icf/).

October 1, 2010
Training Today: Products & Services

The latest new training products and services.

>> Nobscot introduced a new version of Mentor Scout, its Web-based mentor/mentee matching and administration program. New tools include: pre-defined mentoring group types that can be loaded onto the system as part of the account setup; support for ad hoc group creation; a group workspace with designated areas for group discussions and Q&As; and group administration control and moderation within the administrative console.