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National Mentoring Month

January 1

National Mentoring Month

National Mentoring Month occurs in January and celebrated by the color red. Campaigns for National Mentoring Month recognize mentoring and the impact it has on people’s lives. Whether it’s developing employees, supporting young people, or inspiring and preparing college students, mentoring enables people to unleash their full potential by learning from others. Wear a red enamel awareness ribbon pin, red fabric ribbon, or red silicone awareness wristband bracelet to call attention to this important observance.

Established in 2002 and recognized yearly by the US president and administration, National Mentoring Month celebrates the power of mentoring. It also encourages others to explore the way mentoring programs enable organizations to create more productive, engaged, and satisfied people.

Each January, ignite those passions and help turn those wildest dreams into reality with National Mentoring Month.

What are three benefits of National Mentoring Month?

The specific benefits of being mentored include:

Encouraging and empowering personal development.
Identifying and achieving career goals.
Identifying and improving gaps in generic skills and knowledge.
Increasing confidence.

Mentoring is recognized as a highly effective development tool. According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies have formal mentorship programs in place.

The business benefits of mentoring are well documented. This includes a greater ability to attract and retain talent, more effective succession planning and knowledge transfer, higher levels of productivity through improved engagement levels, and job satisfaction. It also provides employees with clarity on how they can contribute to the success of the organization through improved confidence and self-awareness.

However, as any HR or Learning and Development professional attests, successful mentoring programs don’t happen by chance. They require continual investment of time and effort by all parties to truly realize the benefits. This includes the organization, mentors, and mentees.

The 3 C’s of Effective Mentoring Programs

Successful and effective mentoring programs are based around the following principles: Clarity, Communication and Commitment.

Objective: Mentoring Month Clarity

Clarity of purpose is vital.

Examples of mentoring programs include:

Onboarding, skills and leadership, career progression, new job transition, and diversity. Each mentoring program is distinct, with clear objectives and measures in place to evaluate its impact and success.

Clarity of understanding also ensures that organizations select the right development intervention for the business and its employees. Confusion still exists between mentoring and coaching. However, the purpose, approach and outcome of each are very different. For this reason, it is important to clearly define the program’s purpose and what needs you are addressing.

Clarity of skills required by potential mentors improves the overall effectiveness of your mentoring program. This requires a process for identifying mentors and developing their skills. For many, being asked to become a mentor is seen as recognition of an individual’s capability and reputation within an organization. However, this does not mean that they automatically possess the skills needed to be an effective mentor. Investing time in establishing a bench of skilled mentors is key. Key skills include building rapport and trust, effective listening, questioning, and providing feedback.

National Mentoring Month Objective: Communication

Once you’ve clarified the purpose of your mentoring program and identified how you will develop mentors’ skills, identify mentors to support your program. For many organizations, ideal mentors are typically business leaders. These are normally some of the busiest people in the business. Therefore, a strong communication plan that explains the individual benefits of becoming a mentor and how the program supports the organization is key. This helps attract a broad range of potential mentors that reflect the diversity of your workforce and mentees.

Equally important is to communicate your mentoring program to managers and employees. Clarifying the role of the mentoring program to managers helps overcome any concerns they may have over their role versus that of the mentor. For employees, marketing your mentoring program internally helps demonstrate how the business supports continuous learning.

National Mentoring Month Objective : Commitment

Commitment refers to the organization, mentors, and mentees. For mentoring programs to be truly effective there needs to be ongoing commitment. Organizations must understand that establishing a mentoring program is a positive but big commitment. It requires ongoing development as well as enabling those involved the time to invest in the mentoring relationship. For mentors, it requires commitment of their time to support mentees. And finally, mentoring programs require commitment from the mentee to ensure they gain the most out of the relationship. This involves preparation such as clarifying what you want from the relationship and committing to taking action between sessions.